In this image provided by the Kirkwood Mountain Resort, fresh snow is cleared below a ski lift Friday, March 2, 2018, in Kirkwood, Calif. A blizzard warning was in effect for parts of the Sierra Nevada, where snow was piling up and travel was difficult due to repeated highway closures and the need for chains in many places. The snow will help the Sierra snowpack, which is vital to the state's water supply and has only been about a quarter of its normal depth for this time of winter. It's also a boon for skiers and snowboarders. (Kirkwood Mountain Resort via AP)
March 03, 2018 - 2:09 PM
MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. - An avalanche has prompted the closure of a second major California ski resort in as many days.
The Mono County Sheriff's department says three people were partially buried but unhurt by an avalanche Saturday at Southern California's Mammoth Mountain ski resort.
Resort officials said the avalanche occurred at about 10:15 a.m. while resort workers were in an area closed to the public attempting so-called avalanche mitigation, which includes purposely creating smaller slides.
The avalanche poured down the mountain and into an open run crowded with skiers and boarders. The resort then closed for the day.
A Northern California avalanche on Friday injured two people and closed Squaw Valley ski resort.
Heavy storms have drenched coastal areas and dumped more than 6 feet of snow in some higher elevations.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018