Pavement buckled on a Minnesota highway amid sweltering temperatures this week.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation shared images Tuesday of the cracked stretch of Highway 610 between Interstate 94 and Elm Creek Boulevard, according to WCCO.
"With temperatures rising this week, keep an eye out — if you spot a pavement buckle, slow down, change lanes carefully and call 911 to report it," the department wrote. "Pavement buckles are emergencies and we fix them ASAP."
The station said the area was close for several hours as crews worked to repair the damage and that workers did manage to restore the highway overnight.
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This was not the first heat-related instance of pavement buckling on Minnesota road this summer, with KVVR reporting pavement buckling eastbound on I-94 in June.
Buckles occur when the air temperature changes from moderate to extreme heat, according to the department.
When a road is constructed, it is cut into segments that create a space for expansion and contraction. However, sometimes that space is not enough, leading the pavement to buckle or blow up.
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This mainly occurs when the pavement is older and weaker.
The warmer the temperature, the more the pavement material expands.
Pavement buckles can be very dangerous for motorists, and drivers should not try to drive over a buckle if possible. Instead, they are advised to slow down and safely move into another lane and call 911.
This week, nearly 200 million people in the U.S. are under either a heat advisory or flood warning, with dangerous heat targeting the Northeast and mid-Atlantic through the weekend.
The prediction for continued excessive heat comes a day after the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service declared July 2023 the hottest month on record.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
