Natural gas futures continued to tumble lower in early trading Tuesday as forecasts honed in on post-Christmas temperature moderation, undercutting the price impact of nearer term Arctic chills. 

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

Coming off a 74.9-cent swoon in the previous session, the January Nymex contract was down 45.3 cents to $5.398/MMBtu at around 8:45 a.m. ET. February was off 40.5 cents to $5.305.

The 11- to 15-day period (Dec. 30-Jan.3) trended warmer in the latest forecast from Maxar’s Weather Desk Tuesday.

This period “continues to feature a widespread coverage of above normal temperatures, with today’s outlook trending even warmer when compared to the previous,” the forecaster said. “Much aboves now favor the Eastern Half, while the West is normal to above normal throughout the...