As traders gauged market risks associated with Hurricane Idalia’s destructive path through Florida and the Southeast, natural gas futures were trading close to unchanged early Wednesday. 

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

The October Nymex contract was up 1.0 cent to $2.672/MMBtu at around 8:35 a.m. ET. November was off 0.6 cents to $3.056.

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region early Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Idalia was bringing “catastrophic storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds” as it moved inland, the forecaster said.

“A north-northeastward motion is expected through the morning, with Idalia’s center forecast to move into southern Georgia later today,” the NHC said. “Idalia is forecast to turn toward the...