Natural gas futures continued to slide Thursday, but losses were tamed after the latest weather data showed some upcoming chilly weather sticking around a little longer than previously expected. Another plump storage withdrawal also may have provided support, with the March Nymex futures contract settling 5.0 cents lower on the day at $3.959/MMBtu. April slipped 3.7 cents to $3.943.

At A Glance:

  • Production at 96.5 Bcf/d
  • Uneven weather outlook
  • Storage situation improves

Spot gas prices extended their losses too, with NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. down 46.5 cents to $3.690.

As they have since the start of the year, futures were volatile again Thursday amid ongoing variations in the long-range weather models. The latest government inventory data also drew attention, but...