They're generally just folded paper inside the filter, so I wouldn't have thought it could get particularly damaged. Clogged so badly that you get flow, yes... Could it be something else going nuts? I know my car keeps telling me the cat is hot, which is unlikely given there isn't one so it's got to be some kind of short from all the snow. Maybe it's something similar that has got frozen and is now shorting (or maybe cracked)... good luck with it, you're probably our resident expert for preparing the car for the cold.