930 AM PST THU DEC 13 2007...corrected && ZONE AVALANCHE FORECASTS * OLYMPICS- WASHINGTON CASCADES- MT HOOD AREA- Generally low avalanche danger below 7000 feet Thursday through early Friday except for pockets of moderate danger mainly below ridges above 5 to 6000 feet. Gradually increasing avalanche danger Friday afternoon. Further increasing danger Friday night becoming considerable above 5000 feet and moderate below. SNOWPACK ANALYSIS Over the past 10 days following the major heavy rain event, the Olympics, Cascades and Mt Hood area have received periodic light snowfall with generally no more than a trace to a few inches at a time. During this time, most areas have accumulated only 2 to 6 inches over the hard underlying crust with the exception of the Mt Baker area and Mt Hood area where about 8 to 10 inches has accumulated. As temperatures have remained quite cool and the light snowfall has occurred with generally light winds, the surface snow is mainly loose and unconsolidated but may be weakly bonded to the very firm refrozen old saturated snowpack. The lack of a slab layer presently is maintaining mostly stable snow and a low danger in most areas. There have been some moderate crest level winds and this may have transported some loose snow to lee slopes and built isolated wind slab pockets on some lee slopes near ridges where there is a locally moderate danger, mainly above 5-6000 feet. The current snowpack structure is not expected to support a great deal of loading as the shallow low density snow may be poorly bonded to a potentially very good sliding surface in the underlying crust or old bed surface from the previous widespread avalanche cycle. In addition, small surface hoar growth has been seen over the past week and some field reports indicated it is showing up on some protected slopes and should be noted as a potential layer of concern. It should also be noted that last weeks widespread avalanche cycle produced numerous large slides that released to near the ground. This has resulted in many slopes where only a very shallow snow cover remains above the ground or early season shallow snowpack. FORECASTS THURSDAY Mostly cloudy conditions early Thursday and cool with generally light crest level winds. This should not change the overall danger. Light snow showers later Thursday and Thursday night should deposit additional shallow new snow with only light winds. This should also not cause a significant change in the overall danger. At lower elevations, the combination of light winds, a very shallow and in places patchy snow cover, and significant terrain and vegetative anchoring should all help to maintain a generally low danger and stable snow. FRIDAY Decreasing light snow showers early Friday with winds shifting to southwesterly. Increasing south to southwest crest level winds late Friday and increasing light rain or snow should begin to load lee slopes and cause an increasing danger. Strong winds and moderate rain or snow Friday night should further load existing weak layers of low density snow or surface hoar and lead to an increasing danger with more widespread unstable wind slabs developing on lee slopes, especially above 5000 feet on mainly north to northeast facing. &&