The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Thursday reported a withdrawal of 49 Bcf natural gas from storage for the week ended Feb. 9. The result was weaker than expectations and far shy of historical norms, briefly renewing pressure on Nymex natural gas futures before steadying into a sideways trade midmorning.

Minutes ahead of the 10:30 a.m. ET government report, the March futures contract, under pressure for several days, was up 1.8 cents at $1.627/MMBtu. However, the prompt month fell to around $1.591 when the EIA data was released. Nearly 30 minutes later, it was down a half-cent from the prior day to $1.604.

Before the report, NGI modeled a 68 Bcf pull. The median of 12 responses to a Reuters survey landed at a 69 Bcf withdrawal. Estimates ranged from decreases...