HEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) — Heavy rain from a major storm prompted evacuations from communities near a Northern California river that forecasters said could breach its banks Friday, as the system continued to dump heavy snow in mountainous areas where some ski resorts opened for the season.

One of the strongest storms on the West Coast in decades knocked out power for thousands of people and unleashed strong winds that toppled trees and left two dead in Washington before making its way through Oregon to Northern California.

A gusty, rain-soaked storm swept through the Pacific Northwest and Northern California this week, killing at least two people and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of customers. The dangerous weather,