Frost Heaves
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Smooth sailing-or driving, in early Spring can be very challenging on New England roads.

Hi. I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is the Weather Notebook.

As Weather Notebook producer Margaret Landsman tells us today, road trips in New Hampshire become road skips by winter's end.

Frost Heaves. I grew up in southern Ohio and they weren't part of the vocabulary there. I first encountered them in the 70's as a college student in NH. Today, frost heaves are a family affair.

(car doors close)

"You all have your seatbelts on?"

'Yep"

My children and their peers are stuffed in a compact wagon for a joyride around our Concord neighborhood.

"It's really bumpy"

They're a series of bumps as opposed to potholes in the ground. Water, freezing temps, cracks in the road, and silty soil make for perfect frost heave conditions. So says Bob Eaton of the cold weather laboratories for the Army Corps of Engineers.

BE: The soil particles and air spaces act like little straws. The cold temperatures start to go downward and they actually suck or draw up water from below which is called capillary action. As the water comes up it hits the freezing front and of course, expands and pushes upward.

At the local muffler shop there's plenty of evidence of how damaging they are. Dan, a mechanic, gives a thumbnail.

Dan: We see stuff like struts being worn. Sometimes you can see some front end damage to some suspension parts.

Yeah, damage to you're wallet to the tune of several hundred dollars. That day Charlie Smith was waiting for work on his car. We could start a support group.

ML: So, what about frost heaves?

CS: We have a few. Good ones.

ML: How do you cope with them?

CS: We try to aim away from them.

Thanks today to Weather Notebook producer, Margaret Landsman.