U.S. & World

WRIGHTWOOD (CBS 5 / AP) ― Three mountain avalanches killed a skier and left as many as four others missing Friday as California strained under nearly a week of heavy snowfall and relentless rain.

Michael McKay, 23, of Wrightwood, was a ski resort employee who was caught around noon in the first of three avalanches near Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains. He was taken to Desert Valley Hospital where he died about 4:30 p.m., said hospital spokeswoman Jana Retes. An autopsy will be performed next week to determine the cause of death.

As night fell, searchers were still looking for another person who was missing after the second avalanche about a half-mile from the first, on national forest land. A third avalanche was reported and as many as three people were believed to be missing, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Aura Sierra.

The avalanches occurred in areas outside the Mountain High ski resort's boundaries.

McKay was a member of the resort's ski patrol who was skiing with friends while off duty, said Paul Bauer, director of environmental affairs at Mountain High.

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.

The avalanches followed days of stormy weather throughout California as the southern half of the state braced for a major storm that was expected to pour several more inches of rain beginning Saturday night.

"It's going to be a dumping," said Bill Hoffer, a spokesman with the National Weather Service.

Utility crews repaired electrical outages while highway crews worked to keep mountain routes open.

A 40-mile stretch of Interstate 5 over Tejon Pass north of Los Angeles reopened after a two-day closure that stranded hundreds of drivers on the major artery. Highway Patrol officers escorted cars over the summit.

"If it becomes snowy or icy, they'll close down the freeway at once," Officer Miguel Leuvano warned.

A Metrolink train on a morning commute from Ventura County to Los Angeles through a narrow, rocky gorge hit a slide of mud and rocks on the tracks. The stranded train had to be pulled by another train to the next station and four other trains had to be halted, delaying 2,000 passengers for 2 1/2 hours, said Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell.

In the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, mud washed down a naked hillside below a construction site and flowed into two homes.

Elsewhere, slopes denuded by the fall wildfires were holding up, but flash-flood watches remained in effect.

"The thresholds for debris flow are exceeding the critical level," Stuart Seto of NWS said. "Everything's already full of water."

In Los Angeles, two cars were submerged almost to the door handles on a flooded street in Hancock Park.

One resident and his daughter hauled out an inflatable yellow boat and paddled around.

The latest storm moved in Thursday night and dumped 1 inch to 3 inches of rain in the Los Angeles area.

Southern California rainfall totals from Monday afternoon through 4 p.m. Friday included 9.43 inches at Opids Camp in the San Gabriel Mountains above Pasadena and 8.15 inches at Gibraltar Dam in Santa Barbara County. Downtown Los Angeles got 3.43 inches during the week.

The week's storms generated more rain in some Southern California areas than during the entire rainy season last year.

In Arcadia, Santa Anita Park canceled Friday's horse races because of wet conditions on a synthetic track that has had drainage problems since its installation. It was the fifth cancellation this month. The track received 3 1/2 inches of rain over the previous two days.

Off the coast of Corona Del Mar, Orange County harbor patrol deputies rescued a cat from a moored 42-foot boat just before it went down in heavy seas, said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

In Los Padres National Forest, Highway 33 remained closed Friday between Wheeler Springs and the Santa Barbara County line due to heavy snow, said Matt Winter, an officer with the California Highway Patrol in Ventura.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)