Why does the winter season lead to the emergence of ‘pothole-making’ weather
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The drive to work might be getting bumpier as the prime weather for the formation of potholes is taking over Central Missouri. This is because the weather in January in this region most consistently leads to the freezing of water overnight and thawing of ice throughout the day. During the month of January, the average morning temperature is approximately 23 degrees, which is well below freezing. As for the average afternoon temperature, Central Missouri warms up to an average high of 39 degrees, which is slightly above freezing.
The formation of potholes often begins due to heavy traffic on any roadway. This heavier traffic leads to cracks in the roadway, and these cracks are what allow water to get under the roadway and freeze. This water often comes from a rainfall event, and as the rain falls onto the roadway, the water seeps into the cracks.
As temperatures drop below freezing, the water sitting in those cracks freezes and expands. This frozen water takes up about 9% more space than liquid water, so that weakened portion of the roadway begins to be forced upward. As temperatures rise back above freezing, the ice melts, which leads to a gap that forms under the road surface.
Constant traffic over these spots breaks down the road surface that had been raised from the ice, and this leads to the formation of a damaging pothole. These potholes can cause tire punctures or blowouts, bent tires, alignment issues, and even suspension problems for your car. This is especially dependent on the speed at which you hit these potholes, as higher speeds will result in a larger impact force on your vehicle. This larger impact force can lead to a greater potential for damage, which can make the accident that happens much more costly. If you happen to hit one of these potholes, safely inspect for damage, note the location, and check for any handling issues before continuing to drive.
To avoid damage from potholes, there are a few precautions that you can take. First, slow down, especially in wet conditions, as potholes may not be as visible due to water potentially filling them. Second, stay alert and look ahead for any hazards like potholes in the road so that you have a proper amount of time to react. Finally, report the location of the pothole so that your local government can fix it before others happen to receive damage from that same hazard.
Taking a look at the next 7 days, it looks like this favorable weather for pothole formation is expected in the area. After the rainfall much of Central Missouri experienced yesterday and the rainfall expected to come this evening, cracks in any roadways will have received more than enough water to cause issues. Variation of temperatures will also be ideal, as temperatures near freezing on Saturday morning and drop below freezing on Sunday and Monday morning. Sunday and Monday afternoon will warm back to above freezing, which will lead to any frozen water under roadways to melt and leave gaps where potholes could be formed.
