Natural gas futures extended their recent gains in early trading Tuesday amid continued expectations for chilly temperatures over the next week and a half. After picking up 3.5 cents in the previous session, the May Nymex contract was up another 3.0 cents to $2.591/MMBtu at around 8:50 a.m. ET.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

The overnight run of the American Global Forecast System (GFS) added heating demand during the April 20-22 time frame, while the European model was milder trending for April 20-26 by showing less cold over the Great Lakes and Northeast, according to NatGasWeather.

“There’s still several cold shots to sweep across the country before then for strong national demand” this week through April 20 as weather systems are expected to bring low temperatures ranging from the 20s to lower 40s,...