The October natural gas futures contract debuted on strong footing Wednesday, which notably preceded the next government inventory report. After surprising to the low side last week, the potential for another bullish stat sent the October Nymex contract up 13.4 cents day/day to $2.796/MMBtu. November climbed 11.9 cents to $3.181.

At A Glance:

  • Long-term storm impacts unclear
  • Restoration efforts underway
  • Florida cash prices resilient

Spot natural gas prices were mixed as power outages hit the Southeast following Hurricane Idalia’s landfall early Wednesday, while humidity was set to return to Texas after a brief reprieve. NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. fell 10.5 cents to $2.325.

Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm in Florida’s Big Bend area, the nook between the...