WASHINGTON CASCADES NORTH OF MT RAINIER... Considerable avalanche danger Sunday above 4000 feet and moderate below. Danger decreasing on Monday becoming considerable above 5000 feet and moderate below. WASHINGTON CASCADES RAINIER SOUTH...OLYMPICS... Considerable avalanche danger Sunday above 5000 feet and moderate below. Danger decreasing on Monday becoming considerable above 5- 6000 feet and moderate below. MT HOOD AREA... Considerable avalanche danger above 5000 feet Sunday and moderate below. Danger decreasing on Monday becoming considerable above 6000 feet and moderate below. SNOWPACK ANALYSIS..... About a half an inch to an inch of water equivalent was seen at most locations near and west of the Cascade crest on Saturday, which fell as damp snow at higher elevations and as rain at lower elevations, with the snow level at about 3500 feet in the north and about 5000 feet in the south. Mt Baker and Stevens Pass reported 11 and 6 inches of new snow respectively. At most locations there has been up to several inches of settling of the 4 to 8 feet of snow received the past few days near and west of the crest, and the 2-3 feet seen east of the crest. We have reports from snow pits on Sunday morning that weak layers and easy shears seen in the recent snow on Saturday have settled and strengthened. However, mainly at higher elevations where extremely strong winds were seen much of Saturday there is still certainly the possibility of weak layers and local unstable wind slab persisting, mainly on northeast to south east aspects. Therefore, caution and good route-finding should still be used at higher elevations where deep avalanches are still possible. We also have more reports of the buried, mid-November recrystallized snow east of the Cascade crest. Loading by new snow east of the crest is apparently becoming great enough that smaller triggers are required to release these layers which are near ground level. Although natural avalanches are not expected in this area, groups of persons or snowmobilers should use caution since triggered avalanches or large loading could cause deeper releases. Persons traveling on or near steeper slopes east of the Cascade crest should travel with a safe amount of space between them to avoid loading these types of slopes. Sunday..... Gradually increasing south winds and rain or snow at rising snow levels should develop on Sunday. Rain or snow should be heaviest on the south volcanoes or locations exposed to south flow. East winds may help temporarily maintain lower snow levels in the higher Cascade passes, but snow levels should rise to near free air levels late Sunday. Although significant settling has recently occurred, the wet snow or rain should add some loads to any unstable wind slab which should be mainly on northeast to southeast facing slopes at higher elevations. Some local new wind slab is possible on north slopes above 4-5000 feet. Monday... Gradual cooling, moderate west flow and light to occasional moderate snow should be seen Monday, which should decrease Monday night. New snow should generally bond fairly well to previous surfaces due to the cooling, and new lower density snow should help create more favorable density profiles near the surface. This should lead to slightly less avalanche danger on Monday. However, the westerly flow may create some new isolated shallow wind slab on more easterly aspects at higher elevations. Due to the possible new shallow wind slab or previous wind slab, unstable snow should remain possible on steep terrain and back-country travelers should continue to use caution near avalanche terrain. ******************************************************************** Backcountry travellers should be aware that elevation and geographic distinctions are approximate and a transition zone between dangers exists. Remember, there are avalanche safe areas in the mountains during all levels of avalanche danger. Contact local authorities in your area of interest for further information. This forecast is also available at our web site at http://www.nwac.noaa.gov.