Boosted by a cold shot sweeping through key markets, natural gas futures advanced in early trading Tuesday, though questions surrounding the export demand outlook this winter continue to linger.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

The December Nymex contract was up 4.1 cents to $5.974/MMBtu at around 8:45 a.m. ET.

The market continues to wrestle with uncertainty over the timeline for the restart of the Freeport LNG export terminal, which had been slated for a return to service this month. 

However, a Bloomberg News report Monday, citing anonymous sources, said Freeport had told liquefied natural gas buyers it would likely cancel shipments slated for this month and December because repair work and efforts to secure regulatory approvals are ongoing.

“From a raw fundamental perspective, a two-month delay in...