Expect to see more potholes on the roadway Thursday.
An “unexpected warm spell” coming on the heels of extreme winter temperatures in metro Detroit will make it more likely for potholes to develop, according to Diane Cross, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Metro Region.
Areas around southeast Michigan could experience record or near-record high temperatures Thursday, the National Weather Service in White Lake reports on its website. The forecasted high in Detroit on Thursday is 56 degrees, according to the weather service.
Cross said that when water fills cracks in the roads, cold temperatures freeze that water and it expands. When it melts, it results in a bigger hole, crack, or a weakened road because of a void underneath the surface, Cross said.
“People start driving on it and that’s why we start getting these constant potholes popping up everywhere,” Cross said.