Can Cold Weather Crack My Windshield?

With the winter season approaching, you may be getting ready to prepare your care for the winter. A question you may have, is can cold weather crack my windshield? In this article, the experts at Three Rivers Glass discuss how your windshield can crack in cold weather.

Cold Weather WindshieldHow Can my Windshield Crack in the Cold Weather?

Cold weather can cause your windshield to break if it is chipped, cracked, or fractured in any way due to the extreme temperature change. As the temperature drops, the windshield glass will contract or get smaller. If there is a crack, this contraction will cause it to grow. Smaller chips or cracks that you didn’t notice before will become easier to see and may spread several inches or feet.

In colder weather, many of us turn the heat on as soon as we get into the car to warm it up. If there is ice on the windshield, you turn on the defrost setting. You may think not turning on the heat will prevent further cracking, but the defrost will cause a rapid increase in temperature that causes the glass to expand, outing pressure on the glass that can cause the crack to expand or grow.

How Do I Prevent My Windshield from Cracking?

The best way to prevent chipping or cracks due to cold weather is to have your windshield repaired. By filling in the cracked or chipped area with a strong resin, the crack or chip will not grow due to temperature change. This will also protect you in the summer as well when extreme temperature changes are common.

Need to Repair Your Windshield for the Winter? We Can Help! 

At Three Rivers Auto Glass, our auto glass repair team serves Pittsburgh with efficient, high-quality repair services to help you get through the winter damage free! Contact us today to learn more.

Denny Toth