SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s favorite — or least favorite — four-letter word is in the forecast.

Yes, snow is expected again this week in the highest places in Utah. It will be the first snowfall of the season in the mountains.

The National Weather Service predicts 4 to 6 inches of snow could fall on Kings Peak, Utah’s highest point, while other parts of the High Uintas could also get several inches of snow between Monday night and late Tuesday.

Some measurable snow is possible on other peaks in the state. The agency says there is a 58 percent chance of measurable snow in the Upper Cottonwood Canyons. KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson said parts of the Wasatch Mountains, including Cottonwood Canyons, could see a light dusting to several inches of snow this week.

In general, the snow line will likely be at an elevation of 8,500 to 9,000 feet (2,580 to 2,700 meters), while lower elevations may see scattered showers over the next few days and temperatures will be significantly cooler, just in time for the start of astronomical fall on Sunday.

“This week will feel a little bit like fall, it’s our first full week of fall weather,” Johnson said.

Later in the week, some additional precipitation is possible from another system.

A seasonal start to autumn

A few scattered showers are in the forecast for Monday afternoon and evening, but the first mountain snowfall of the season is tied to a low pressure system moving into northern Utah from California. KSL meteorologist Devan Masciulli said the core of the system will be spinning in moisture, which will primarily affect the northern half of Utah by Tuesday morning. Weather models indicate that this is when rain will transition to snow in the mountains.

On top of the snow, Wasatch Front and northern Utah Valley communities like Provo, Salt Lake, Ogden and Logan could get 0.10 to 0.75 inches over the next few days, according to the National Weather Service. Masciulli said a second storm system is forecast to move through Southern California through Arizona later in the week, which could bring additional precipitation from the northern border on Thursday.

These patterns also make temperatures feel more like early to mid-October and less like the last week of summer. High temperatures in the Wasatch Front will drop from the low to mid 80s on Monday to the mid to upper 60s and low 70s Tuesday through the end of the week. Nighttime lows could drop into the 40s and 50s across the region.

That is comparable to normal maximum temperatures around the second week of October, according to climate data from the weather service.

Nighttime lows could even drop to 30 degrees in parts of northern Utah this week. It could also lead to more freeze warnings in higher elevations, as happened last week in the Wasatch Backcountry.

Highs this week will drop from the mid to high 80s to low 80s and high 70s near St. George. Lows tonight will drop into the 50s.

Complete seven-day weather forecasts for areas in Utah can be found online at the KSL Weather Center.

Resorts ready for the snow

Utah’s first snow of the season comes as the state’s 15 resorts prepare for the start of the 2024-2025 ski season. Some have already released tentative opening dates for the year:

• Ski area Alta: November 22
• Brian Head Resort: November 8th
• Deer Valley Resort: December 7th
• Eagle Point Resort: December 20
• Park City Berg: No. 22
• Snowbasin Resort: November 29
• Snowbird Resort: November 28
• Sundance Mountain Resort: December 2nd

Of course, those dates could change depending on how much snow falls in the coming weeks and months. Utah hosted about 6.75 million skiers last winter.