Can window glass crack from cold?

[Max T.]

Can a window crack due to very cold exterior temperature? Here is the message from my tenant. "Hey max- this big crack appeared overnight in one of the kitchen windows, possibile because of the extreme cold from outside and heat from inside. Do you have something that can fill it?" The crack diagonally spans the entire window, from top left corner to bottom right corner. It has been very cold for the past few days here in philly. With that being said, these are high quality energy efficient windows that were purchased and installed about 5 yrs ago and qualified for a rebate.

[Roy N.]

Max,

The cold more likely shifted/torqued/sheared the fenestration in which the window is installed and it was this force which caused the glazing to crack.  It would have to be quite a stress to crack a double or triple glazed modern window.

Another possibility {though unlikely} is the sash has warped/pulled away from the glazing and water entered between the two ... that water has since frozen and the pressure has cracked the glazing.

I'm sure it's not been as cold in Philly as we regularly experience (today is the first day warmer than 0F in a month) and the cold never makes the glass crack here ... especially in a modern thermo-pane.