BISMARCK - North Dakota received just enough rain in the past week to keep drought conditions from further deteriorating.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows 82 percent of the state in some stage of drought, unchanged from last week. Most of central and western North Dakota remains in extreme or exceptional drought, the two worst categories.
The Drought Monitor says there was a small area of improvement to extreme drought in the south central part of the state, but that abnormally dry conditions expanded in eastern North Dakota.
Gov. Doug Burgum earlier this week asked President Donald Trump for a disaster declaration, saying the state is "the epicenter of drought for the nation.''