'Drive like you got an open iced tea on your passenger seat.' Trucker offers tip for driving through snow on Greenville Mountain
People who live at higher elevations in Orange and Sullivan Counties are annoyed — not surprised — to learn they could receive a couple inches of snow Friday evening.
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Snow is coming for people in the northern part of the News 12 viewing area prompting a warning from people who know the hilly roads of Orange and Sullivan counties.
People who live at higher elevations are annoyed — not surprised — to learn they could receive a couple inches of snow Friday evening.
News 12 Meteorologist Matt Hammer told his Facebook followers Friday morning about his forecast, "Trust me. I wish I was joking, too!"
Truck driver Larry Hooper, of Sullivan County, woke up Friday to some winter in spring.
"We had 2 inches of snow this morning," he said, indicating zero surprise at the swing in conditions.
Hooper had some advice for people who are not from the area and might find themselves on road stretches like I-84 over Greenville Mountain, which peaks at around 1,000 feet above sea level.
A few minutes of hard snow can make that part of the interstate just West of Middletown dangerous.
"Once it starts turning white, just back down a little bit and you'll be fine," Hooper said. "Drive like you got an open iced tea on your passenger seat and you'll be fine."
When Orange County resident Brandon Rodriguez is driving up the mountain and sees a car coming down the mountain with an inch of snow on it, he takes that as his warning.
"Those roads, you know, they can get interesting up there," Rodriguez said. "It can get real sporty up there, so be careful, go slow, slower than the speed limit for sure."
During several storms this past winter, officials from the Orange County Emergency Services Center arranged for heavy-duty tow trucks to be stationed on the mountain to quickly respond to semi-truck crashes and keep I-84 clear for emergency vehicles.
The county's emergency services commissioner said the center is not calling for the same strategy on the mountain Friday, but will be monitoring local forecasts and ready to change plans.
