# The science of windshield ice (WTF?)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-science-of-windshield-ice-wtf/1027046>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 26, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-science-of-windshield-ice-wtf/1027046 "2026-01-26T15:47:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-science-of-windshield-ice-wtf/1027046/41 "2026-01-28T22:22:54Z")

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> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#):
> >
> > A good percentage of that 2/3rds live in places where chipped and broken windshields are almost as common as a flat tire. When I lived in the Pacific NW, replacing a windshield was almost once a year like clockwork.
> 
> Sounds more like the difference between (sub-)urban and rural, not snow or not.
> 
> Like @Kron, I’m amazed at the idea of frequent windshield replacements. If the issue is quarries as you say, those aren’t correlated with cold weather either.

Probably really due to  
a) people trying to throw stuff into the quarry and missing, or  
b) based on the poster’s identity, from aiming his shotgun at Bugs Bunny and missing.

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-science-of-windshield-ice-wtf/1027046/42 "2026-02-02T20:01:21Z")

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Or drove behind coal trucks in eastern Kentucky.

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**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-science-of-windshield-ice-wtf/1027046/43 "2026-02-03T01:52:42Z")

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We lived high on the hog in Prudhoe Bay - just leave the truck running round the clock. Never a problem with ice on the windshields.

But with nothing but gravel roads, frequent (like, several per year) windshield replacements were a fact of life.

Fortunately, our employer took care of keeping our tanks full, and provided very efficient windshield replacement services.

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-science-of-windshield-ice-wtf/1027046/44 "2026-02-03T02:38:07Z")

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> [@Dinsdale](#):
>
> I’m assuming this is exaggeration, no? A lifetime in the Chicago area, and I’ve never needed 15 minutes to clear enough to drive.

Please come visit me in Saskatchewan in mid-January and learn how the other half lives.

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