A cold Pacific storm will likely dump several inches of snow on most of Idaho's mountains starting Monday.

This will be the first snowfall of the season and even valley areas such as Pocatello and Chubbuck could see some of the white stuff.

The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement warning the public of the possibility for up to 8 inches of snow this week in the mountains of Eastern, central and Southern Idaho.

While mountainous areas are expected to receive significant snowfall, low-lying places such as Pocatello, Twin Falls, Blackfoot and Idaho Falls will likely receive up to an inch. If those and other valley communities on the Snake River plain and in the Eastern Magic Valley do not see snow they will definitely see rain.

The white stuff and/or rain could begin falling as early as Monday morning and might continue into Thursday night. The biggest accumulations will likely be from Monday morning through Wednesday morning.

The weather service expects mountains above 7,500 feet elevation to be hardest hit by the snow, but up to 5 inches are expected in areas as low as 5,500 feet. This would include mountain towns such as Montpelier, Soda Springs, Driggs and Island Park.

Temperatures will plummet as the Pacific storm reaches Idaho. Daytime high temperatures in Eastern Idaho will mostly be in the 50s on Monday but Tuesday through Thursday they will drop into the 40s and 30s. Nighttime lows in the region through Thursday night will mostly be in the 20s but higher elevations will see temps dip into the teens.

The storm will also cause windy conditions in Eastern Idaho through at least Tuesday.

Stay tuned to idahostatejournal.com for the latest weather forecast information about this week's storm.