The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Thursday reported an injection of 49 Bcf natural gas into storage for the week ended July 16. The result was bearish relative to analysts’ median expectations and historic averages, sending natural gas futures lower in morning trading.

Ahead of the EIA report, the August contract was down 1.2 cents at $3.947/MMBtu. The prompt month slid further to around $3.930 when the EIA data was released, and by 11 a.m. ET, it was off 3.5 cents day/day to $3.924.

Temperatures during the storage report week were “hotter than normal over the West and Mid-Atlantic Coast,” though only warm elsewhere while rainy over parts of the South, including Texas, according to NatGasWeather. Liquefied natural gas volumes also dipped lower from 2021...