Potholes Forming After Myrtle Beach Storms? Why Water Is the Real Culprit
Quick Answer: Potholes tend to form and worsen after heavy storms because water is the real culprit. Water gets into cracks, soaks down to the base beneath the asphalt, and washes out or weakens the support. Once the base is undermined, traffic pounding the unsupported spot breaks the asphalt away into a pothole. So rain doesn't just reveal potholes, it creates the conditions for them. Stopping potholes from coming back means keeping water out (sealing cracks, good drainage) and repairing them properly by addressing the base, not just filling the hole.
If potholes seem to appear or get dramatically worse right after a big Myrtle Beach storm, you're seeing something real, and it points to the actual cause of potholes, which surprises a lot of people. It's easy to blame traffic, and traffic plays a role, but the driving force behind most potholes is water. The storms aren't a coincidence; they're a big part of why the potholes form.
Understanding that water is the real culprit changes how you think about potholes, both why they keep coming back and how to actually stop them. A pothole isn't just a hole that appeared; it's the end result of water undermining the pavement from below. If you only fill the hole and ignore the water, you'll be filling it again. Here's how water forms potholes, why storms accelerate them, and what it takes to keep them from returning to your lot or drive.
How Water Actually Forms a Pothole
The key to the whole thing is understanding that a pothole starts below the surface, with water, not on top with traffic.
Here's the sequence. It begins with a crack, any crack in the asphalt. Water gets into that crack and travels down to the base and subgrade beneath the pavement, the compacted layers that support the asphalt. There, the water does its damage: it erodes and washes out the base material and softens and weakens the subgrade. Now there's a void or a weak, unsupported spot beneath the asphalt. The asphalt over that spot is no longer supported from below, it's essentially bridging a gap. When traffic drives over it, the unsupported asphalt flexes, cracks, and breaks apart, and pieces come loose, leaving a pothole.
So the real cause is water undermining the base; traffic is what finishes the job by breaking the now-unsupported surface. This is why potholes are fundamentally a water problem. The traffic pounding gets blamed because that's the visible final step, but without the water washing out the support first, the asphalt wouldn't fail there. Understanding that the damage starts underneath, with water, is what points to why storms make it worse and how to actually prevent it.
Why Storms Make Potholes Worse
Given that water is the cause, it's no mystery why heavy storms produce a wave of potholes. Storms supply the water in force.
A big storm dumps a large amount of water onto the pavement all at once. That water floods into every crack, saturates the base and subgrade, and accelerates the washing-out and weakening that undermine the asphalt. Areas that were marginally supported get pushed over the edge; small cracks that were quietly letting water in become the starting points for new potholes. Standing water and poor drainage make it worse, water that ponds or can't drain away has more time to soak in and do damage. So after a heavy Myrtle Beach storm, all that water has driven a burst of base-undermining, and potholes appear or grow as traffic then breaks the weakened spots.
This is also why potholes seem to cluster in low spots, poor-draining areas, and places where water collects, those are where water sits and soaks the base most. The storm connection is the clearest evidence that water is the culprit: the potholes follow the water. Recognizing that pattern, potholes worsening after storms and concentrating where water collects, confirms that controlling water is central to preventing them.
Tip: Pay attention to where water goes on your lot or drive during and after a heavy rain. Note where water ponds, where it drains poorly, and where it collects, those are exactly the spots where the base is being soaked and undermined, and where potholes are most likely to form or return. Also note any cracks, since they're the entry points for water. That map of water and cracks tells a paving professional where drainage and sealing need attention to stop potholes at the source.
Why Just Filling the Hole Doesn't Last
When a pothole appears, the obvious move is to fill it, but a fill-only repair often doesn't last, and understanding why comes back to water and the base.
The pothole formed because the base beneath was washed out and weakened by water. If you simply fill the hole at the surface without addressing that undermined base and the water that's still getting in, you've patched the symptom while the cause remains. Water keeps entering, the base stays compromised or keeps eroding, and the patch, sitting over unsupported ground, works loose or the surrounding asphalt continues to fail. That's why filled potholes so often reopen or reappear nearby, the water problem underneath was never solved.
A repair that lasts has to address the base and the water: properly repairing the pothole means dealing with the failed base beneath it, not just the surface, and stopping water from continuing to get in and undermine the area. That's the difference between a patch that pops back out and a repair that holds. It's also why prevention, keeping water out in the first place, matters so much: a pothole prevented by good water control is far better than one repeatedly filled.
Stopping Potholes at the Source: Water Control
Because water is the real culprit, preventing potholes, and making repairs last, comes down to controlling water: keeping it out of the pavement and off the base.
Seal cracks to keep water out
Cracks are the entry points where water gets down to the base. Sealing cracks stops water from penetrating and undermining the support, cutting off potholes before they start. Crack sealing is one of the most effective preventive steps precisely because it denies water its path in.
Ensure good drainage
Because standing and poorly draining water does the most damage, proper drainage and slope that move water off the pavement and prevent ponding protect the base. Addressing low spots and drainage where water collects is key, especially given how storms concentrate water there.
Maintain the surface
Keeping the asphalt sealed and in good repair (including timely crack sealing and surface maintenance) keeps water out and extends the pavement's life, heading off the cracking that lets water in.
Repair properly, addressing the base
When potholes do form, repairing them properly, dealing with the failed base and keeping water out, is what makes the repair last, rather than a quick surface fill that reopens.
The throughline is that controlling water, sealing cracks, draining well, maintaining the surface, and repairing to the base, is what actually prevents potholes and makes repairs hold, because water is what causes them in the first place. In a wet, storm-prone coastal area, that water control is the heart of keeping pavement pothole-free.
Warning: Don't treat recurring potholes as just a fill-it-again chore, and don't ignore the water and cracks behind them. A quick surface fill over an undermined, water-soaked base tends to fail again, and meanwhile water keeps working, so the damage spreads and potholes multiply, especially after each storm. Left unaddressed, water-driven pavement failure grows from potholes into larger base failure and more extensive repair. Addressing the water (sealing, drainage) and repairing properly to the base is what stops the cycle rather than feeding it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do potholes form after heavy storms?
Because water is the real cause of potholes, and storms deliver it in force. Water floods into cracks, soaks down to the base beneath the asphalt, and washes out and weakens the support. Once the base is undermined, traffic breaks the unsupported asphalt into a pothole. A big storm accelerates all that base-undermining at once, so potholes appear or worsen right afterward.
Isn't traffic what causes potholes?
Traffic is the final step, not the root cause. Water undermines the base first, washing out the support beneath the asphalt; then traffic pounding the now-unsupported spot breaks it apart into a pothole. Without the water washing out the base, the asphalt wouldn't fail there. So while traffic finishes the job, water is what sets it up, which is why potholes are fundamentally a water problem.
Why do my potholes keep coming back after I fill them?
Because filling the surface doesn't address the washed-out base or the water still getting in. The pothole formed from water undermining the support beneath; a fill-only patch sits over that compromised base while water keeps entering, so the patch loosens or the asphalt keeps failing. Lasting repair means addressing the base and stopping the water, not just filling the hole.
Why do potholes cluster in the same spots?
Because those are where water collects, low spots, poorly draining areas, and places where water ponds after rain. Water sitting in those areas soaks and undermines the base most, so potholes form and return there. The fact that potholes follow the water is strong evidence that water is the culprit, and it points to drainage as a key part of preventing them.
How do I stop potholes from forming?
Control the water. Seal cracks to keep water from getting down to the base, ensure good drainage and slope so water doesn't pond and soak in, keep the surface sealed and maintained, and repair any potholes properly by addressing the base. Because water causes potholes, keeping it out of the pavement and off the base is what actually prevents them, especially in a wet, storm-prone area.
Does sealing cracks really help?
Yes, it's one of the most effective preventive steps. Cracks are the entry points where water gets down to the base and starts the undermining that leads to potholes. Sealing them denies water that path in, cutting off potholes before they can form. Timely crack sealing, along with good drainage, is central to keeping water, and so potholes, out of your pavement.
What does a proper pothole repair involve?
Addressing the failed base beneath the pothole, not just filling the surface, and keeping water from continuing to get in and undermine the area. A proper repair deals with the washed-out support and the water problem that caused it, which is what makes it last. A quick surface fill over a compromised, water-soaked base is what tends to reopen, so repairing to the base is key.
Keep the Water Out, Keep the Potholes Away
Potholes forming after Myrtle Beach storms aren't really a traffic problem, they're a water problem. Water gets into cracks, washes out the base beneath the asphalt, and leaves the surface unsupported until traffic breaks it into a pothole, and storms drive that process by flooding the pavement all at once. That's why potholes follow the water and why filling the hole without addressing the base and the water never lasts. Controlling water, sealing cracks, ensuring good drainage, maintaining the surface, and repairing properly to the base, is what actually stops potholes from coming back. Keep the water out, and you keep the potholes away.
Stop storm-season potholes at their real source—water. Potholes develop when water weakens and washes away the base beneath asphalt, and heavy storms accelerate the damage. Simply filling the hole without fixing the underlying cause only leads to repeated repairs. With 15 years of experience, Able Asphalt Paving Inc. provides
professional small repair services in Jacksonville, North Carolina, addressing drainage issues, sealing cracks, and restoring the damaged base for long-lasting results. Reach out today for a pavement assessment and break the pothole cycle for good.
