Natural gas forward prices surged from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 as hints of colder weather finally emerged in long-range forecasts, NGI’s Forward Look data showed. 

December prices rose an average 41.0 cents through the trading period, while frigid air and early-season snow in the Pacific Northwest and Rockies fueled even more substantial increases in those regions.

Plump natural gas price hikes were seen through the balance of winter (December-March), which added 25 cents on average, according to Forward Look. Smaller price increases were seen further out the curve.

The hefty price gains for the winter occurred in spite of stout production, rising storage inventories and an ongoing curtailment of LNG demand, at least for now.

With the turn of the calendar to November, the gas...