Intense Heat Led To This Road Buckling and a Corolla Taking Flight

      Albert Blackwell/Storyful/Accuweather

      Get The Drive’s daily newsletter

      The most recent updates on cars, reviews, and features.

      I’m not sure how your Monday is shaping up, but the temperature in my New York office is around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and my dehumidifier has already extracted three gallons of water from the air before lunch. This heatwave is affecting a large part of America right now. In Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the roads are buckling so severely that one caused a poor Toyota Corolla to fly into the air like a Mario Kart power-up. I doubt the driver was laughing at that moment.

      The video that's been circulating was taken by Albert Blackwell, who was reportedly filming a bulge in the road when it suddenly gave way in front of a moving car. “When I went back to capture a front view of cars passing over the smaller buckle, the road erupted and rose more than 18 inches, launching a vehicle into the air,” Blackwell told Local 12.

      It seems no one has heard from the driver of that current-generation Corolla sedan that is featured in the clip. It’s astonishing how swiftly the road raised to such an extreme angle—it could have caught anyone off guard. Hopefully, they are alright and have the opportunity to view this unexpectedly dramatic footage of their car. If it were mine, I would be meticulously checking the underside for any frame cracks or damage to the oil pan. But Corollas are durable—perhaps it’s just fine!

      The city of Cape Girardeau confirmed on its official Facebook page that “Both Broadway and Siemers buckled in this heat wave. Thank you to the crews for managing traffic and implementing temporary fixes on Siemers. We will return to putting temporary patches on the streets until a full repair can be made.” They also warned that more streets may buckle this week as the heat shows no indication of letting up.

      Almost everything expands and contracts with changes in temperature. Most roads are designed with this in mind, allowing for some expansion, but in extreme heat, that leeway might not suffice. In such instances, the road can become too large for the space it occupies. When that occurs, it can create a sudden lift, resembling a jump. In this case, it was just a crack that behaved like a jump.

      Capturing the exact moment of that occurrence on video is impressive; having it take place just a few feet in front of a fast-moving car to create an unexpected jump is extraordinary. It's unfortunate about the mailbox in the way—this Corolla could have made an excellent rallycross audition tape. It’s also regrettable concerning the deteriorating environmental conditions on Earth. This week is likely to be tough for many!

      Have you witnessed any other outrageous weather-related car incidents? Feel free to send the author a message at [email protected]