The leading edge of what forecasters said could be the most powerful storm of the season blanketed Southern California on Saturday night, dropping moderate to heavy rain from Orange County to Ventura and promising even heavier downpours today.
But as the region braced for the latest deluge, authorities said they had recovered the body of a third avalanche victim from last week's snowstorm near the Mountain High ski resort in the San Gabriel Mountains, and a young snowboarder was rescued unharmed after a night outside.
A steady soaking rain began falling late Saturday across much of Southern California, including Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties, raising concerns that the area's fragile hills, charred in last year's wildfires, could start to slide.
The National Weather Service said heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail could hit the Southland, with a flash flood watch in effect through tonight and winds up to 35 mph. "We have a big band of storms coming in," said Bill Hoffer, a spokesman for the weather service in Oxnard.
Authorities, including rescue personnel, were keeping a wary eye on the storm, but only moderate precipitation had fallen by late Saturday.
"The bottom line is, you never know the full effect of a storm until it really hits and comes on shore," said Gary Boze, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Public Works Department. "This is a storm season that will last into February, and each time a storm hits we're even more prepared. No one ever knows until it actually hits land."
A helicopter crew Saturday rescued a 24-year-old snowboarder who had become stranded in rugged terrain after snowboarding off-trail near Mountain High ski resort. Officials said Oscar R. Gonzalez of Westminster had hunkered down for the night in the fuselage of an abandoned aircraft.
In an interview, his father, Oscar J. Gonzales, said his son, an experienced snowboarder, had kept his mind focused on his 5-month-old daughter despite the 22-degree cold.
"He said he thought that if he went to sleep, he wouldn't wake up," said the father, who waited at a Mountain High first-aid station while helicopters combed the slopes in search of his son, finally finding him in an open field.
Near Mountain High, a ski resort in the Wrightwood area on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, the avalanche victim was identified as Christopher Allport, 60, a veteran character actor from Santa Monica.
