SALT LAKE CITY — Meteorological spring began this weekend with it continuing to feel more like astronomical spring across the valleys.

However, as a reminder that it’s still winter, the next storm has the potential to deliver over a foot of snow in some mountain areas.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for many of the state’s higher-elevation areas. KSL meteorologist Devan Masciulli says an “active first week of March” will begin late Sunday as a storm arrives from California, generating mostly a mix of valley rain and mountain snow through Tuesday.

Federal forecasts advise that warm southwesterly winds will pick up on Sunday before its arrival, possibly producing wind gusts exceeding 40 mph in southwest Utah and the West Desert.

Masciulli said high-elevation areas across the Wasatch Mountains and also southwest have the best odds for precipitation Sunday evening before the storm’s core arrives in Utah on Monday, which will help spread precipitation to other areas in the state.

“We’ll really begin to fill in as the center of the low (pressure) crosses throughout the day on Monday, so (there will be) occasional valley rain and mountain snow showers throughout the day on Monday,” she said.

Scattered showers are forecast to linger into Tuesday, potentially creating valley snow Tuesday morning. The precipitation will eventually taper off as the day continues.

National Weather Service’s advisories state that the Wasatch, West Uinta, central and southern mountain areas could all receive 6-12 inches of snow by 11 a.m. Tuesday. Higher totals are possible in the upper Cottonwood Canyons, as well as the Pahvant and Tushar mountain ranges. The alert adds that “uncertainty in snow amounts remains unusually high,” meaning that certain conditions could result in higher totals.

The advisory also cautions that roads will be slick across mountain passes. Traction laws are possible, if not likely, across multiple mountain roadways.

Wasatch Back communities may also receive a few inches of snow, but the odds of that trickling down into the valleys aren’t as strong. The weather service models note there’s a small chance valley communities could also receive snow, but the agency expects that most communities will end up with a trace to an inch of snow, barring a shift in patterns.

Early models also indicate it could produce 0.10-0.25 inches of rain across valley areas, Masciulli added, but that could also change. Another storm could reach all parts of the state again later in the week.

Temperatures will also dip back down closer to normal. High temperatures are forecast to reach the low 60s across the Wasatch Front on Sunday, possibly reaching temperatures normal for mid-to-late April in Salt Lake City. Temperatures could also reach the mid-70s around St. George before the next system arrives.

High temperatures are currently forecast to drop back into the 40s across the Wasatch Front on Monday and Tuesday, flirting with the 50s before the second storm’s expected arrival. Temperatures are forecast to drop back to the low 50s near St. George on Monday before returning to the upper 50s and low 60s later in the week.

Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online, at the KSL Weather Center.