Natural gas futures prices strengthened Thursday after the latest government storage data pointed to continued tightness in the market. The May Nymex contract settled at $2.749, up 5.7 cents from Wednesday’s close. June climbed 5.5 cents to $2.831.

EIA storage april 16

Spot gas prices were mixed, but fell off sharply on the East Coast as the coldest temperatures associated with recent weather systems may be in the rearview mirror. NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. finished 11.0  cents lower at $2.580.

Even as weather models came into better agreement that the early May time frame would be generally mild across the country, Nymex futures were quick to pounce on the latest storage data.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a smaller-than-expected 38 Bcf injection into natural gas...