I have an avalanche warning in effect for the Wasatch Range and the Uinta Mountains. Strong winds and heavy snow will overload buried weak layers in the snowpack, making large and dangerous avalanches.

A HIGH avalanche danger for all the mountains of northern Utah today and through the weekend on slopes of 30 degrees or steeper, above about 8,000' on slopes that face northwest, north, northeast, east and southeast. Backcountry travelers should avoid all avalanche terrain, including runout areas. There is a CONSIDERABLE danger on other slopes.

Ridge top winds are blowing hard with hourly averages of 40, gusting to 60 along the highest peaks and 30, gusting to 40 along most of the ridges. Ridge top temperatures are in the teens. There is about a foot of light, fluffy snow, which can easily be blown into drifts. (see 48-hour weather charts)

Although avalanche activity slowed down to a dull roar yesterday, they continued nonetheless with natural avalanches occurring in the Salt Lake and Park City area mountains.  One in Scott's Bowl, near Park City in the morning, 9,500', N-NE facing, 1-2.5' deep, An out-of-bounds area in Daily Canyon near Deer Valley at 9,200', NE facing, 1.5-3' deep, 80' wide, an out-of-bounds area at Solitude, lower Hidden Canyon near Brighton, N-NE facing, 1-2' x 80', and yesterday morning, Brighton noticed that more slopes on the back side of Clayton had naturalled wall-to-wall above Lacawaxan Lake, No-No-Name Bowl near Park City, These last two may have occurred on the 17th. There was also a human triggered avalanche in West Monitor yesterday with one person caught but they escaped.

Strong southwest winds are already blowing and they will increase throughout the day until the cold front passes this afternoon. They should average 50 gusting to 70 along the exposed ridges. Snow should begin falling in earnest around noon and we should get 12-20 inches of snow by late on Saturday. Temperatures will plunge down to just below zero after the front passes and we will likely get lake effect squalls on a northwest to westerly flow tonight. Saturday should be continued snow and Sunday looks like partly cloudy with light snow showers.

The extended forecast: This storm will seem like a baby compared to the next couple storms, one on Monday and Tuesday and the other the day after Christmas. We should have feet and feet of new snow by the weekend after Christmas.

If you want to get this avalanche advisory e-mailed to you daily click HERE.

The Wasatch Powderbird Guides - for information, call them at 801-742-2800 or go to their daily blog.

UDOT highway avalanche control work info can be found by calling (801) 975-4838. Our statewide toll free line is 1-888-999-4019 (early morning, option 8).

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If you’re getting out and see anything we should know about please let us know.  Your information could save someone's life.  You can leave a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@utahavalanchecenter.org. (Fax 801-524-6301).

The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content.  This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

Evelyn Lees will update this forecast by 7:30 on Saturday morning.