9 AM PST Wednesday January 19, 2000 ZONE AVALANCHE FORECASTS . . . OLYMPICS . . .MT HOOD AREA . . . WASHINGTON CASCADES. . . Moderate avalanche danger below 7000 feet Wednesday through Thursday, slightly decreasing through Thursday. SNOWPACK ANALYSIS..... No new snow was received over Mt Hood, the Olympics and Washington Cascades over the past 2 days. Over the past 2 nights, widespread surface hoar has formed at most elevations under ideal conditions for hoar growth. This should be noted if future snowfall buries this layer intact. The storm last Sunday deposited some 10 to 20 inches of snow with extremely strong winds. This storm also was accompanied by warming temperatures. This built some relatively sensitive hard slab conditions over the 5 to 7 feet of settled snow received last week. Widespread natural and triggered hard slab avalanches were reported Sunday. During the clear weather over the past few days, views into the Mt Rainier National Park indicate that many of the natural slides released Sunday started relatively low in the path. This is an indication that the very strong winds deposited wind blown snow to lower than usual on lee slopes. Hard slab avalanches on this layer also produced the fatal avalanche Sunday in the Crystal Mountain area. Another triggered hard slab in the Crystal Mountain area Sunday caused a broken leg and was fortunately able to be rescued. Since Sunday however, little or no avalanche activity has been reported. In areas affected by the strong winds, wind stiffened near surface snow overlies the settling older snow. Both backcountry skiers and explosive control have produced little or no avalanches on this layer. The exception was in the Mt Baker area where some large slide releases of 10 to 12 feet were released from large explosive control. These avalanches broke down to the old rain crust from earlier in January. This however, does not reflect the response of the snow to the weight of a backcountry traveler. In areas that were not affected by wind, significant amounts of relatively low density near surface snow are providing some excellent backcountry ski conditions. Caution should be exercised however, as snowpack stabilities can quickly change over relatively small distances, as small unstable wind slabs may have formed in pockets or on any exposed slopes. Wednesday. . . Mostly fair with high clouds at times, cool temperatures and light winds. This should not appreciably change the present snowpack structure and danger. Some areas of unstable wind slab should persist on steeper previously wind loaded slopes, maintaining the possibility of triggered slab releases. Although a moderate danger exists, backcountry travelers should continue to exercise caution, as some unstable pockets of wind slab should persist. Thursday . . . Increasing clouds, light winds and relatively cool temperatures with occasional light snow. This should not allow for a significant change in the current avalanche danger. However, this light snow should fall with light winds and may bury existing surface hoar intact which may become a significant future weak layer when loaded with additional snow.