I woke up this AM to find that our large round top window in our family
room had cracked during the night. It was 20-30 below zero in
Minnesota last night and I was wondering if the cold weather can cause
this. Our house was built in 2002 so the window is actually pretty
new. If the cold can do this how does one prevent it from happening?

"Jasan" wrote:
I woke up this AM to find that our large round top window in our family
room had cracked during the night. It was 20-30 below zero in
Minnesota last night and I was wondering if the cold weather can cause
this. Our house was built in 2002 so the window is actually pretty
new. If the cold can do this how does one prevent it from happening?

Thermal stresses can cause a marginal piece of glass (say, one that had a small
nick on an edge, or one that was mounted in the frame a bit tightly) to crack.
You see it most often with things like automotive windshields (one of the
reasons to get a rock star filled ASAP after it happens), but it can happen with
any glass. In your case, not much you could've done or can do to prevent it.
Just one of those "sh*t happens" things.