A hotter shift in forecasts over the holiday weekend, including toasty June temperatures in key demand regions in the Midwest and East, helped propel natural gas futures sharply higher in early trading Tuesday. The July Nymex contract was up 7.2 cents to $3.058/MMBtu at around 8:50 a.m. ET.

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Over the weekend, forecasts trended “notably hotter” by showing additional heat for the Midwest and East in the six- to 10-day time frame, according to Bespoke Weather Services. This includes projected high temperatures of 90 degrees or above as far north as Minneapolis and Boston, the firm said.

This would increase national gas-weighted degree days (GWDD) “to near-record levels on at least a couple of days early next week, despite the fact that the West cools off after the next few...