Another round of winter heads for Utah

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the Northern Wasatch mountains and mountain valleys as a stronger, colder and more energetic storm will arrive late tonight and last until Sunday morning across the state of Utah.

Expect to see valley rain and mountain snows through much of the duration of this latest storm. However, snow levels will drop throughout the day Saturday and the valleys will start to see accumulating snow by tomorrow night.

The timing of the changeover is still in question as the cold front moves into the state so accumulations will remain on the lighter side for the valleys.

The mountain valleys should expect to see 5-10 inches of new snow while the mountains should see an additional 1-2 feet by the time this storm clears out of the state Sunday morning.

A big concern with this latest storm are the strong winds that will be associated with it. A High Wind Watch is also in effect for the Central and Southern counties of Utah excluding Dixie. Winds will be gusting in excess of 60 mph over the highest ridge tops.

The strong winds will continue to keep the avalanche danger extremely high along the northern mountains. The Ogden and Logan area mountains have an extreme avalanche risk while all other areas will see a high avalanche risk.

A combination of wet, dense snow and strong winds over the ridges will create the perfect mixture for human triggered avalanches.

Temperatures will remain mild for much of the state through Saturday until the cold front arrives in Northern Utah tomorrow night.

The parade of storms that we have been experiencing over the last few days will come to and end by Tuesday after a third and final storm will affect Northern Utah Monday into Monday night and this storm will be cold enough to produce all snow for both the valleys and the mountains.

Stay tuned to ABC 4 News and ABC4.com for all your weather updates.