NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Wednesday, April 11, 2018 Report: Oregon Oregon snowpack remains below average heading into April should put an end to By GEORGE PLAVEN EO Media Group While Oregon’s mountain snowpack is in much better shape than it was just two months ago, it is likely too little, too late. April is usually the time when snow peaks around the state, though the USDA Natural Resources Conserva- tion Service reports all basins are still behind on snowpack, with most measuring between 40 and 70 percent of normal levels. The news does not bode well for stream flows or drought conditions heading into summer, said Scott Oviatt, NRCS snow survey supervisor. “Snow and cooler weather in March was not enough to bring snowpack levels up to normal,” Oviatt said. “Moun- tain snowpack peaked well below normal this winter at most locations in Oregon.” Areas closest to the Columbia River seemed to fare best over the winter, with EO file photo The Horseshoe Prairie Nordic ski area, seen here on Jan. 1, offers cross country skiers and snowshoers nearly 10 miles of marked trails. Snowpack in the Blue Mountains is about 91 percent of normal in April. the Umatilla, Walla Walla and Willow basins, as well as the Hood River, Sandy and Lower Deschutes basins, at 91 percent of normal. Southern Oregon, and especially southeast Oregon, is in much rougher shape. The Malheur and Owyhee basins both received less than half their usual snowpack, and the Klamath Basin is sitting at just 47 percent. Gov. Kate Brown has already declared a drought in Klamath County. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration solitary confinement near average flows. Others may be “well below normal,” depending on their location. “Water users that are not able to take advantage of reservoir storage will likely experience significantly reduced water supplies this summer, especially in the southern and southeastern basins of Oregon,” the report states. “The governor declared a drought emer- gency in Klamath County in March and more counties may follow.” Summer stream flows could be as low as 30-60 percent of average in the Klamath, Harney, Crooked, Owyhee, Malheur, Lake and Goose Lake basins. The silver lining for Eastern Oregon irrigators is the status of reservoirs, which are storing close to normal amounts of water. Once again, the Umatilla, Walla Walla and Willow basins are at the top of the heap with reservoirs at a collective 123 percent of normal. The lowest reservoir levels can be found in the Rogue and Umpqua basins of western Oregon, at 88 percent of average. Blues in better shape than most basins is not forecasting much in terms of relief. The next three months will more than likely see average to above-average temperatures across the state, along with below-average precipitation. “Our best hope is a cool spring that helps to prolong the snow we have further into the season,” Oviatt said. The NRCS released its April stream flow forecast on Friday. Not surprisingly, it predicts that rivers closest to the Columbia River are expected to have average to By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau PORTLAND – Inmates with severe mental health conditions at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem spend an average of nearly 23 hours per day in solitary confinement, according to a report released Tuesday by Disability Rights Oregon. The state in many cases may be violating the inmates’ constitutional rights, the nonprofit advo- cacy group alleged. Isolation can exac- erbate symptoms of mental illness, including depression and anxiety, and many prison systems around the nation have discontinued the practice, said Elizabeth Seaberry, a spokeswoman for the advocacy group. The report recommends that the Oregon Depart- ment of Corrections end solitary confinement, transfer acutely mentally ill patients to a therapeutic environment and improve access to mental health care. A DOC spokeswoman did not immediately return messages Tuesday from the Pamplin/EO Capital Bureau seeking a response to the report. While located in Salem, Oregon State Penitentiary holds inmates from around the state. More than three dozen men in the prison’s Behavioral Health Unit spent almost 23 hours a day confined to “dark, cramped cells” during the final quarter of 2017, the study showed. The progress report follows revelations by Vehicle fell in Calif. river in region where family vanished LEGGETT, Calif. (AP) — A vehicle fell into a rain- swollen river and vanished last week in the same region of California’s far north coast where a family that vanished during a road trip is last known to have been, authorities said. Mendocino County sheriff’s Lt. Shannon Barney told The Press-Democrat of Santa Rosa that officials will launch a search of the south fork of the Eel River once water levels drop and the flow slows. Witnesses reported a newer-model maroon vehicle, possibly a Honda Pilot, went into the river about 1 p.m. Friday, said California Highway Patrol Officer William Wunderlich. The vehicle was southbound on U.S. 101, pulled into a turnout and went over the side and into the river. Four members of the Thottapilly family have been missing since last week while traveling from Portland to their home in Santa Clarita, California, the San Jose Police Department said in an email to The Associated Press. A relative who had been expecting them in San Jose on Friday reported them missing on Sunday. “The family never made it to their destination and have not been heard or seen from since Thursday,” the statement said. Police identified their vehicle as a maroon or burgundy 2016 Honda Pilot with license plates 7MMX138. A “missing” poster shared by friends and family on Facebook identified the Thottapilly family members as 42-year-old Sandeep, 38-year-old Soumya, 12-year-old Siddhanty and 9-year-old Saachi. The poster said their last known location was the “Klamath-Redwood National Park area.” The Klamath River and a string of state and federal redwood parks lie along U.S. 101 to the north of where the vehicle was seeing falling into the Eel River. A powerful storm late last week dropped 2 to 5 inches of rain in the region. Farther south along the Mendocino County coast, 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. 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Cloudy, a shower in the p.m. Clouds and sun, a shower; cooler 60° 38° 52° 38° SATURDAY Mostly cloudy Rather cloudy 64° 43° Cooler with spotty showers 58° 39° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 58° 41° 65° 41° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 59° 60° 87° (1925) 45° 38° 24° (2010) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Trace 0.48" 0.44" 4.19" 6.45" 4.40" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 63° 63° 80° (1985) 43° 39° 22° (1933) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Trace 0.46" 0.24" 2.84" 4.98" 3.35" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today New First Apr 15 Apr 22 69° 46° 59° 40° Seattle 53/41 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 63° 43° Full 6:17 a.m. 7:36 p.m. 4:32 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Last Apr 29 May 7 Today SUNDAY PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 57° 42° NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com Business Office Manager: Janna Heimgartner 541-966-0822 • jheimgartner@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com REGIONAL CITIES Forecast FRIDAY Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com Circulation Manager: Marcy Rosenberg • 541-966-0828 • mrosenberg@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2018, EO Media Group THURSDAY Corrections The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. ADVERTISING Advertising Services: Grace Bubar 541-276-2214 • gbubar@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Kimberly Macias 541-278-2683 • kmacias@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Subscriber services: For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — TODAY authorities continue to look for members of a family missing since an SUV made a deadly and possibly inten- tional plunge off a towering ocean bluff along State Route 1 last month. Sarah and Jennifer Hart and their six adopted children were believed to be in the family’s SUV at the time. Five bodies were found March 26 near Mendocino, a few days after Washington state authorities began investigating the Harts for possible child neglect, but three of their children were not immediately recovered from the scene along the shoreline. A body was pulled out of the surf on Saturday but its identity was not immediately identified by emergency crews. Spokane Wenatchee 55/37 54/39 Tacoma Moses 52/37 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 59/39 55/36 49/42 49/38 58/37 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 49/40 61/39 Lewiston 64/41 Astoria 62/42 49/41 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 51/42 Pendleton 55/31 The Dalles 65/41 60/38 57/40 La Grande Salem 56/34 51/40 Albany Corvallis 51/39 50/38 John Day 55/31 Ontario Eugene Bend 63/41 50/38 52/29 Caldwell Burns 61/40 51/27 Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima Hi 49 58 52 51 51 55 50 58 65 55 48 56 54 56 49 52 63 64 60 51 55 51 55 54 50 61 58 Lo 41 34 29 40 27 31 38 36 41 31 24 34 32 37 42 41 41 41 38 42 27 40 37 31 40 39 37 W r c r r sh c r c c c r c c r r r c c c r r r c c r c c NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Thu. Hi 50 50 47 51 45 43 50 49 58 44 43 46 44 51 50 51 55 59 52 52 51 53 51 41 51 53 60 Lo 45 28 31 43 21 30 40 37 41 31 25 33 32 36 44 45 34 39 38 44 28 43 33 30 44 40 36 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W r pc c sh pc pc r pc pc pc sn pc pc r r r pc pc pc r sh r r pc r pc pc WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 76 83 63 56 70 47 66 67 62 81 69 Lo 49 75 49 47 53 28 49 55 43 68 60 W c s sh r t s pc pc s s pc Thu. Hi 70 83 70 59 74 49 62 62 65 89 72 Lo 48 75 55 48 52 30 47 50 42 71 53 W s t pc c pc pc sh t s s pc WINDS Medford 56/37 (in mph) Klamath Falls 48/24 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Periods of rain today; breezy. Overcast tonight with showers. Periods of rain tomorrow. Eastern and Central Oregon: Cloudy today with a shower, except dry in the south. A shower tonight. Western Washington: Periods of rain today. A couple of showers tonight. A touch of rain tomorrow. Eastern Washington: Cloudy today; a couple of showers, but dry near the Idaho border and in the mountains. Cascades: Snow today, accumulating 1-3 inches; a bit of morning snow, then rain across the north. Northern California: Mostly cloudy today; rain, except snow at times in the interior mountains. Today Thursday N 4-8 SSW 7-14 WSW 12-25 W 12-25 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 1 2 2 Disability Rights Oregon two years ago that about 40 male inmates in the Behavioral Health Unit at the prison were kept in isolation and received inadequate mental health care. In some instances, prison staff members acted violently toward the inmates, according to the advocacy group. In early 2016, DOC leaders agreed to take steps in the subsequent four years to improve the conditions for inmates in the specialized unit. “The agreement strives to reshape this unit to live up to its original vision: an environment that’s safe for prisoners and the prison staff who work with them, where prisoners can heal through effective treatment for their mental health conditions, and where their intrinsic human dignity is safeguarded,” said Joel Greenberg, report author and staff attorney with Disability Rights Oregon. Tuesday’s report marks the midpoint of that four- year improvement plan. Disability Rights Oregon alleged that the corrections department is failing to ensure that inmates with mental health conditions are released from their cells for a minimum of 20 hours a week. That number is the minimum to protect inmates with mental health conditions from “cruel and unusual punishment” as defined by the Eighth Amendment. “Unless there is a dramatic shift, DOC is unlikely to meet the goals it agreed to within the timeframe,” Greenberg said. 2 1 0 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018 -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Wet snow and rain will extend from the Great Lakes region to the northern Plains, northern Rockies and coastal Northwest today. Showers will dot South Florida. Much of the rest of the nation will be dry. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 102° in Thermal, Calif. Low -1° in Clayton Lake, Maine NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 83 69 51 58 56 72 60 46 69 62 61 55 81 77 56 93 48 39 82 79 61 72 73 90 74 76 Lo 53 48 43 43 33 51 37 37 49 44 52 46 59 46 46 68 25 30 74 59 53 51 51 57 52 53 W s s s s r s c s pc pc c r s s c s pc r pc s pc s s s s s Thur. Hi 78 76 59 71 38 79 48 54 75 77 65 69 80 76 68 88 49 41 83 81 74 75 75 69 80 69 Lo 38 54 52 57 27 56 33 48 56 53 46 49 67 33 43 57 30 31 73 68 58 56 62 51 62 53 W s s c pc sn s pc r s pc pc c pc pc c s pc c pc pc pc s s s pc pc Today Louisville Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Nashville New Orleans New York City Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia Phoenix Portland, ME Providence Raleigh Rapid City Reno Sacramento St. Louis Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tucson Washington, DC Wichita Hi 64 71 83 53 47 68 75 52 78 75 54 97 45 50 63 62 65 61 70 70 68 61 53 95 61 79 Lo 53 54 68 41 35 51 57 44 58 44 43 67 34 36 45 35 35 40 55 48 58 49 41 63 46 58 W pc s pc c r s s s s s s s s s s pc c sh s pc s c r s s s Thur. Hi 77 78 81 57 52 78 77 62 81 69 67 82 49 58 75 52 48 62 76 51 67 60 52 84 75 83 Lo 59 60 70 38 36 58 63 55 62 58 57 57 42 47 53 22 30 42 63 36 54 48 44 50 60 65 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W pc s pc pc c s s c pc pc c s pc r s c sf pc pc sh pc pc r s pc s