STROUDSBURG, PA — Pennsylvania State Police troopers will be keeping a close eye of road conditions and reporting back to the agency’s watch center in Harrisburg as conditions deteriorate later Friday.

They’ll be paying special attention to heavily traveled arteries like interstates 78, 81 and 476 in eastern Pennsylvania as a big winter storm blows through the area, potentially bringing more than a foot of snow to the Poconos and a mixture of rain, snow and ice to other parts of the state.

State police spokesman Trooper Adam Reed says the patrols are vital for helping keep the public informed of dangerous travel conditions, or when a decision is made to close a road.