An intense Pacific storm will dump several inches of snow on the mountains of Eastern and Central Idaho by Monday afternoon and could make traveling by road "impossible" in some places, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service has issued a winter storm warning along with several other advisories alerting the public that heavy snow, heavy rain and/or high winds can be expected regionwide.

The winter storm warning is in effect until 5 p.m. Monday and states that up to 16 inches of snow could fall on the highest mountains of Eastern and Central Idaho, while up to 5 inches could fall on mountain towns such as Montpelier, Driggs, Soda Springs, Lava Hot Springs and Island Park.

Communities on the Snake River Plain, such as Pocatello, Chubbuck, American Falls, Fort Hall, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls and Rexburg, will likely only see an inch of snow through Monday afternoon but will experience heavy rain. Thunder could be heard during a heavy downpour of rain in Pocatello on Sunday afternoon.

Towns along Interstate 15 south of Pocatello—such as McCammon, Downey, Malad and Preston—could see up to 3 inches of snow through Monday afternoon. The storm will also dump several inches of snow on Northern Utah, Western Wyoming and Western Montana.

In addition to the snow, a high wind warning has been issued by the weather service calling for gusts of over 60 mph regionwide. The winds will be strong enough to damage houses and other buildings.

Motorists are being urged to use extreme caution through Monday in Eastern and Central Idaho because the combination of strong winds, snow and rain will make for very hazardous road conditions. The weather service says motorists can expect "white out" conditions at higher elevations and the storm could make traveling via road "impossible" in some places.

Daytime high temperatures will be in the low 30s in Eastern and Central Idaho Monday. Daytime highs regionwide will mostly be in the 30s and 40s Tuesday through Thursday, while nighttime lows will be in the 20s and 30s all week.

Conditions will clear Monday night but starting Tuesday more rain and snow could fall on the region and this precipitation could continue through the end of the week. The weather service is already forecasting up to 16 inches of snow on the region's highest mountains Tuesday night through Wednesday.

For the latest weather forecast updates stay tuned to idahostatejournal.com.