GLENDIVE, Mont. — It’s not unusual for it to feel like eastern Montana and western Montana are two different states, with the plains in the east and the mountains to the west. This year’s drought has settled along similar lines, with the eastern prairies brown and the western areas maintaining closer to normal soil moisture. Kelsey Jensco, state climatologist, says the Continental Divide splits the state into a maritime climate in western Montana, similar to the Pacific Northwest, and a semi-arid continental climate in the east. “In eastern Montana this spring, we saw warmer temperatures, a significant reduction in precipitation and persistent winds,” he says. “In Glasgow, the National Weather Service reported the driest April, May and June since 1918.” In those three months, only 1.24 inches of rain fell in Glasgow. In the U.S. Drought Monitor released June 6, the percentage of Montana in extreme drought nearly doubled, from 6.77 percent to 12.89 percent. Another 22.04 percent is in severe drought, 8.01 percent is in moderate drought and 4.78 percent is abnormally dry. North Dakota’s area in extreme drought increased slightly, from 25.06 percent to 29.29 percent. Another 17.7 percent is in severe…