OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Exceptional drought conditions have eased slightly in parts of Oklahoma, though most of the state remains in extreme drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday shows 37 percent of the state in exceptional drought - the worst classification - with most of the area in western Oklahoma and from north-central Oklahoma into the eastern Panhandle.

The monitor rated 48 percent of Oklahoma in exceptional drought last week.

Fifty-three percent of the state was in extreme drought while southeastern Oklahoma and a small part of the western Panhandle are rated in severe drought.