Here in the Triangle, new drought numbers out today show Wake, Durham and Orange Counties moving in the right direction when it comes to the drought.

All three have been upgraded from moderate drought status to abnormally dry thanks, in part, to Tropical Storm Hanna.

Cumberland County is out of the drought altogether.

And all that rain we've seen also has area lakes filling up.

Here's where it stands:

Falls Lake is now five feet above full.

Jordan Lake is about four feet above full.

And Durham's Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir are both at maximum capacity.

This is a huge improvement, compared to this time last year, when the majority of the state of was in an extreme drought.

But these full water sources aren't yet translating into relaxed water restrictions.

"Even if we were to move from the revised Stage 1 restrictions, what we would go back to is what is termed as permanent everyday water conservation rules," said Dale Crisp, the City of Raleigh's Public Utilities Director.

Which means you could water your lawn three times a week instead of two, if the city council decides to lift Revised Stage 1 Restrictions next week.

But Crisp says even those permanent rules could change slightly now that Wake County's drought classification has been upgraded from moderate to abnormally dry.

"The jury's still out on where we're gonna wind up in all this, but I don't see the city moving away from permanent conservation measures, it's just a matter of what those measures are," said Crisp.

Meanwhile, the City of Durham lifted most of its mandatory water restrictions last week, but it still limits lawn watering to twice a week.

But city water leaders tell us they're in the preliminary stages of looking into year-round restrictions.

Related Links

1. Drought Information