"You're seeing access to areas 40, 50 feet back that are overgrown with brush, that are normally not even dry now. It's kind of frightening to be honest with you," said Trois Jeter, who was boating at Falls Lake Thursday.
Jeter acknowledged recent rainfall has made a difference, though it still remains below normal levels. The rain contributed to Raleigh lifting its Stage 1 water restrictions earlier this month. Falls Lake, the city's primary water supply pool, is now at 89%, well above the 75% trigger level.
Even so, drought conditions persist across the region.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Wake County remains in moderate drought. Conditions are more severe in some neighboring areas, with northern portions of Durham and Orange counties classified in severe drought and large sections of Granville, Person, Caswell and Rockingham counties experiencing extreme drought.
Durham continues to face water challenges. Stage 2 Water Shortage restrictions remain in place as officials monitor conditions at Lake Michie.
The drought has also taken a toll on farmers, particularly those who rely on hay.
"We've got a lot of people going on in small farms. They want to have some horses and they all buy their hay," said Matt Poore, a beef extension specialist at NC State. "They will very much notice, with the price of hay and the availability that, that it's going to be more expensive because it is a lot of that hay will be trucked in from, from other states. And we have very high fuel prices right now."
Poore said higher hay costs could eventually translate into higher prices for some products, though the heavy rainfall in late July has also benefited several crops.
"It's helped crops like soybeans and peanuts and sweet potatoes and cotton that actually can kind of wade through a dry spell, and then they can recover and do quite well after that," Poore said.
Boaters have also begun returning to Falls Lake as conditions improve. John Salisbury said he avoided the lake earlier this summer because of concerns about low water levels.
"Just reports that the lake was six feet or something below normal level," Salisbury said. "And the last two years, during this time of year, the lake's always been above full."
He's been twice this week, including Thursday.
"I think it's manageable for boaters, as long as you just stay off from the shore level which you're supposed to be watching for anyway," Salisbury said.
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