The U.S. natural gas rig count went unchanged at 102 for the abbreviated pre-Thanksgiving period ended Wednesday (Nov. 24), while an uptick in drilling activity in North Dakota helped lift the oil count six units higher, according to updated Baker Hughes Co. (BKR) data.

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As with the total number of natural gas-directed rigs, the Gulf of Mexico tally was also unchanged for the period at 15. The six-rig expansion in the oil patch left the United States with a combined 569 active rigs as of Wednesday, up from 320 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR figures, which are partly based on data from Enverus.

The Canadian rig count added four units — all oil-directed — to end the period at 171, up from 102 a year ago. 

Broken down by major play, the...