As overnight forecasts fueled uncertainty over how much cold air will find its way into the Lower 48 late this month, natural gas futures skidded lower in early trading Tuesday. The January Nymex contract was down 6.5 cents to $3.729/MMBtu at around 8:50 a.m. ET.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

The weather data produced a mix of trends overnight, including a decline of 10 heating degree days from the American Global Forecast System (GFS) projections, according to NatGasWeather.

The European model advertised colder trends for next week but trended warmer for the Dec. 26-28 time frame, the firm said.

Potentially the most significant aspect of the updated forecast, the European model “failed to trend colder with the pattern Dec. 26-28, as warmer than normal conditions rule most of the eastern half of the...