On the day the Triangle got its first real November rain, the new map from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed that the drought's stranglehold on the state had changed little over the past week.

Drought conditions in the Triangle counties of Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Johnston continue to be "extreme," the second most intensive of the four categories of drought.

Thursday's wind-driven rains won't help much. Most of the Triangle received between a third and a half of an inch of rain, including 0.32 inches at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. And forecasters don't see any more rain on the horizon through at least the middle of next week.

Water wise

Q: In spring, there was a major release of water for several weeks when Falls Lake was near capacity. If they had not released the water then, I believe we would still have plenty of water. I'm not an expert, but I would think the drought conditions that have existed over the past couple of years would have prompted them to make the prudent choice of not releasing that much water. I have not seen this question asked in the media.

-- Eric Fenstermaker, Raleigh

A: According to Terry Brown, water control manager for the U.S. Corps of Engineers in Wilmington, Falls Lake was designed to do more than just supply drinking water. It also prevents flooding, provides recreation and maintains a steady flow of the Neuse River downstream. Heavy rains in March and April prompted the Corps to release more water from the lake in advance of hurricane season. "There are all kinds of aspects to operating dams," Brown said. "We have to maintain a delicate balance operating in floods and operating in droughts."