Weather Continues to Hamper Search for Skydiver

King County Search and Rescue officials say the search has resumed with 42 volunteers for a skydiver missing near Mt. Si, but weather conditions that forced suspension of the search Thursday night continue to cause problems Friday morning.

KCSAR reported via twitter that King County's Guardian 2 flew from Renton, but weather at Preston turned them back to base, where they are waiting for weather to clear. Guardian 1 was damaged last week in an incident at the base, but the King County Sheriff's Office said it would not have been used for this mission.

The 29-year-old Florida man went missing yesterday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. after jumping from a helicopter near Mt. Si. His two skydiving companions called authorities when he didn't show up at a designated landing zone.

Seattle Mountain Rescue said the search area is larger, about 5 miles, due to the fact that the man was wearing a wingsuit, permitting lateral flight. The Sheriff’s Office has been able to pinpoint the flight pattern of the helicopter prior to the skydiver jumping but said that a number of factors make it difficult to know where the skydiver might be. Investigators also do not know if the man’s parachute was deployed.

Volunteers from Pierce and Snohomish counties have joined in the search efforts.