The U.S. natural gas rig count slid to 106 for the week ending Friday (April 19), down three rigs from the week prior and down 53 rigs year/year, according to the latest tally from oilfield services provider Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

The addition of five rigs in the oil patch lifted the combined U.S. rig count to 619, up two units week/week but down from 753 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data from Enverus.

Land drilling increased by one rig overall in the United States for the period, while the Gulf of Mexico picked up one rig to finish with 18, flat versus its year-earlier total. Domestic gains included two vertical rigs and one horizontal rig. Partly offsetting was a one-rig decline in total directional...