A significant warmer shift in forecasts over the weekend sent natural gas futures plunging early Monday. The January Nymex contract was down 17.9 cents to $2.396/MMBtu at around 8:45 a.m. ET.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

For the Dec. 17-21 time frame, days 11 to 15 of the outlook period, Maxar’s Weather Desk said its latest forecast trended warmer versus previous expectations, showing “broadly warmer than normal” conditions for the Lower 48, including much-above normal temperatures in the central part of the country.

“The pattern is influenced by a trough over Western Canada and the Eastern Pacific, a feature” associated with La Nina and a positive Eastern Pacific Oscillation (EPO), the forecaster said. “The result is an air flow directed into North America from the Pacific, which is a warmer...