2 dead, 2 missing in California avalanches

A second skier has died in a series of avalanches in the mountains outside of Los Angeles, authorities said Saturday, while Southern California braced for more powerful storms that have pounded the area with heavy snow and rain.

Three avalanches swept backcountry slopes in the San Gabriel Mountains on Friday, killing the two skiers. The search for two more skiers was to resume on Saturday.

Angeles National Forest spokesman Stanton Florea said an avalanche advisory was issued for the ski area at nearby Mount Baldy, a 10,000-foot peak about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, and the lifts were closed.

A man struck by an avalanche was rescued Friday and teams were trying to determine if a second person was trapped, authorities said.

A man, who may have been a skier, was pulled from the snow in Wrightwood, a town in the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy C. Osterthaler said.

The man was in an out-of-bounds area near the Mountain High ski resort when he was caught in one of two avalanches, the deputy said.

Three mountain avalanches killed a skier and left as many as four others missing Friday as California strained under nearly a week of snow and rain.

One avalanche struck Friday afternoon at Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains. Michael McKay, a 23-year-old employee of the Mountain High ski area, was pulled from the debris, but died at a hospital, a spokeswoman said.

As night fell, searchers were still looking for another person who was missing after a second avalanche about a half-mile from the first.

A third avalanche also was reported and as many as three people were believed to be missing, a sheriff's deputy said.

Meanwhile, a 40-mile stretch of Interstate 5 over Tejon Pass north of Los Angeles reopened after being closed for two days.