Winnipeg crews repairing potholes; forecast could make perfect conditions for more

Manitoba Public Insurance has released its current number of pothole claims for 2026.

Pothole repair is underway in Winnipeg.

CTV News spotted crews out and about Monday fixing holes throughout the city.

A spokesperson for the city confirmed work has been happening throughout the winter fixing any holes that may appear.

Crews use a temporary cold mix that gets applied between snow-clearing and melting periods, the spokesperson said.

While it has been cold and felt like winter doesn’t want to leave, Danielle Desjardins, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the forecast for the next week could be perfect for creating more potholes.

“We’re going to see much warmer air enter southern Manitoba about midweek. So we’re going to see those daytime highs climb above zero again. Overnight lows will still remain, for the most part, below zero. So we are entering a little bit of a freeze-thaw cycle about midweek for the next week or so,” said Desjardins.

That cycle, she said, leads to water pooling on the road during the day and then freezing at night. Not only does it make the roads slippery, but when the water freezes, it expands, which can help in the creation of a pothole.

“It’s not really great for the roadways when we have a freeze-thaw cycle like this, but it happens every year.”

Before March is done, Desjardins said, Manitoba could see another cold spell, not as cold as what the province has dealt with recently, but cold nonetheless.

However, she mentioned even during a cold snap, the snow could still melt, creating those frustrating road conditions.

“I’ve even noticed with the strength of the sun, even when it’s slightly below zero, there is still some melting going on, especially on the roadways.”

Hundreds of claims so far in 2026 (subhead)

Manitoba Public Insurance shared the number of pothole claims it has received so far for 2026.

Outside of Winnipeg, there have been a total of 42 claims in the first two and a half months. January had 18 claims, February had 13, and so far, March has 11.

In Winnipeg, March has been a busy month to date, with 102 claims made through March 14. Another 71 were made in February and 35 in January.

In comparison, however, 2026 is not standing out yet from any other year.

In Winnipeg, 2022 had the highest number of pothole claims, with 4,451, followed by 2024, with 3,720.

March was the worst month of 2024 with 812 claims, while May had 1,415 claims in 2022.

Outside of Winnipeg, 2024 was the worst year for claims, with 1,439 claims. May had the highest number of claims that year, with 275.

The city spokesperson said a longer-term solution of using hot asphalt to fix potholes won’t be happening until mid-May, as long as the weather allows it.

They added they don’t have the latest numbers for how many potholes have been filled to date in Winnipeg.