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Data: Climate Central; Chart: Axios Visuals

Pothole season has come and gone with relatively little notice.

Driving the news: Indianapolis received 10,758 service requests for potholes between Jan. 1 and the end of April, down from 27,864 during the same period last year.

The city averaged 17,410 potholes over the past 10 years.

What they're saying: The public works department attributes Indianapolis' tolerable pothole season to "continued investment in the maintenance and rehabilitation" of streets under Mayor Joe Hogsett.

Why it matters: Climate change is easing Indianapolis' pothole burden even as the city struggles to chip away at a $1 billion-plus infrastructure deficit.

Potholes form when water expands and contracts during freeze-thaw cycles.

When the temperature stays above freezing, there are fewer potholes.

State of play: Indianapolis just had its second-warmest winter since 1970, with an average temperature near 37 degrees, per Climate Central.

Last winter was almost five degrees warmer than average.

The big picture: Winter is the fastest-warming season for much of the continental U.S., Axios' Andrew Freedman writes.

About 80% of the country now has at least seven more winter days with above-normal temperatures, compared with 1970, per Climate Central.

Not only are winters warming overall, but cold snaps are becoming less severe and shorter in duration, the latest research shows.

By the numbers: Indianapolis' worst pothole winter during the past decade was 2018 when citizens reported more than 30,000 — as the average temperature dropped below 31 degrees.

The lightest year was 2016, with 8,519 potholes reported, when the average temperature was 35.5 degrees.

The bottom line: Hogsett has increased spending on street work, including $50 million on resurfacing over the past two years and $10 million on strip-patching this year, but the city's streets remain in overall poor condition.

Indianapolis potholes ease with climate change

Indianapolis, Indiana

Pothole season has come and gone with relatively little notice.Driving the news: Indianapolis received 10,758 service requests for potholes between Jan. 1 and the end of April, down from 27,864 during the same period last year.