ATLANTA (AP) - The drought is over in Georgia and other southern states after sucking reservoirs dry and shriveling crops for three years.

Only about a third of the South faces moderate or worse drought conditions, roughly half the area that was dry a year ago.

In Georgia, homeowners are getting more leeway to water their lawns.

An unusually wet March flooded homes around the region.

Forecasters say the drenching helped refill lakes and water tables.
In Georgia, the drought affected about 75 percent of the state as recently as October.

But climatologist David Stooksbury and others caution that a prolonged dry spell during a hot and humid summer could quickly reverse the gains.

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