Southern Ohio winters are hard on pavement because temperatures repeatedly rise above and fall below freezing. A week can freeze hard, thaw to 45°F, bring rain and freeze again. That repeated movement causes damage, and a typical winter brings dozens of those temperature swings.
What freezing water does
Water expands roughly 9% when it freezes. Water sitting in a crack freezes from the top down, sealing itself in, then expands against the crack walls with enormous pressure — wedging the crack wider. The thaw refills the now-larger crack, and the next freeze repeats with more water. Below the surface, the same process heaves saturated base material and then drops it, leaving voids. By spring, those voids are potholes.
Why potholes all appear in March
They were built all winter — March is just the reveal. The surface over a void worn down by winter weather survives until thaw softens everything, then a few hundred tire hits punch it through. The pothole you hit in spring started as a crack you could have sealed for a few dollars in fall.
The October defense
- Fill every crack before the first hard freeze. A sealed crack stays dry, and dry cracks do not suffer damage from freezing water. Hot rubberized filling in fall is one of the most valuable hours of pavement work all year.
- Clear drainage paths so melt water leaves instead of soaking edges and joints.
- Sealcoat in season (timing guide) so the surface sheds water instead of drinking it.
- Brief the plow driver: blade height and route notes prevent gouged sealcoat and shaved striping.
And in spring
Walk the pavement as soon as it dries out. Note new cracks and soft spots, patch anything that opened and arrange spring maintenance early. Winter damage adds up from year to year, so taking care of small defects each spring helps prevent major repair calls.