Prices continued to exhibit mild firmness Thursday, and sourceswere able to point out several contributing factors: a risingscreen, colder weather than expected both in western Canada andpushing southward into the central U.S., and Wednesday afternoon’sbullish storage report.

A March futures gain that eventually surpassed a nickel got mostof the credit for cash quotes ranging from flat to about a nickelhigher. A dime-plus drop in Tennessee Zone 6 was about the onlydecline of much significance. Otherwise, except for Transco Zone6-NYC being down almost a nickel, Northeast citygates seemed tohave pulled out of their recent tailspin.

Calgary went from relatively balmy for this time of yearWednesday into the deep freeze Thursday, traders there said. “It’sabout minus 4 degrees today, and that’s Fahrenheit, not Celsius,”one marketer noted. The cold helped boost intra-Alberta andWestcoast Station 2 prices into the low C$3.10s.

However, a trader south of the border reported Sumas pricesbacking down into the low $2.30s towards the end of cash business.Utility loads were already a little below normal, he said, and whenSumas prices started out just over index in the high $2.30s, “theutilities came out selling.”

It makes a lot of sense to be pulling storage gas right now,said a Midcontinent marketer. Some sources were expecting theweekend to drag prices lower today, but the marketer wasn’t sosure. If the screen doesn’t go into the tank early, he said,there’s a good chance for at least flat or possibly higher pricesagain.

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