Falls Lake sees major water level improvements after last week's rain

Recent heavy rain made a visible dent in the drought locally.

On Tuesday morning, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Falls Lake, Raleigh's main drinking water source, rose more than 2 feet over the past week alone. 

That's a major improvement. The lake's water supply went from 66% full last week to 84% full. The last time the lake was at this level was back in mid-April, right before the city of Raleigh implemented Stage 1 water restrictions.  

Last week, the lake was at 246.1 feet, or 5.2 feet below pool. On Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the lake rose to 248.4 feet, just 3.1 feet below normal pool.

Falls Lake is the primary water source for more than 650,000 people in the area, including Raleigh, Garner, Wake Forest, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon.

The lake's water level had been on a steady decline since late March, dropping more than 6 feet below normal pool early in July.

The drought we are seeing has lasted nearly a year, beginning late last summer, and Falls Lake hasn't been at its normal level after dropping below pool in mid-September 2025.

There was a brief period in February and March where wintry weather replenished some of the water it lost, but that was short-lived once spring arrive and the drought intensified.

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The lake looked particularly rough in early July when it dropped nearly 6 feet under its normal level of 251.5 feet, the lowest it's been since the historic drought that began in 2007 when it dropped to record lows 10 feet below pond at one point.

However, recent rain seems to significantly improved the lake's outlook. Daily observations posted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' water management website showed Falls Lake had risen to 248.3 feet as of 8 a.m. Monday, nearly 2 feet above where it was just a week ago.

Visibly, the lake is also looking much better than it was weeks ago -- as you can see below from the photo taken at the Ledge Rock boat ramp.

Last week before the rain, the report showed Falls Lake was 5 feet below normal levels, which is roughly 66% of where it should be.

This has been the fourth wettest July ever recorded in Raleigh, and we've had more rain this month than in the last five months combined.

We will still need plenty more rain to bust the drought, but should we continue to see similar steady rain this summer -- the drought situation should continue to improve.

The U.S. Drought Monitor will also release its weekly report on drought conditions across the state on Thursday, and we expect to see some notable improvements there, as well.