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OTTUMWA,IOWA -- Residents in Ottumwa will have to deal with more potholes on the streets for the next several months.

The potholes are a result of frost and moisture from the recent blizzard. Moisture goes into the bottom of the pavement through cracks and holes, then freeze. When temperatures warm up, the moisture thaws; resulting in movement of the concrete.

City crews are in the process of repairing the roads. They are concentrating on the potholes that can cause the most damage to vehicles first.

Public Works Operations Superintendent Steve Edgington urges Ottumwans to have patience.

"We're going to get to the potholes as soon as we can. It's going to take some time. There's a lot of them out there. The more the weather goes below freezing and then warms up again, the more potholes there's going to be."

Edgington believes the best way to avoid incident is to take it easy.

"Slow down until we get them fixed. The worst thing you can do is try to whip around them and go in the other lane. You could be in an accident. If you hit them hard there's a good chance your going to have damage."

Repairs are not expected to be fully completed until the end of summer. Residents can call the public works department at 641-683-0688 if they see severely bad potholes.