One might not call it a rally, but natural gas futures advanced for a third time in as many sessions on Wednesday, supported by the combination of weakened production and strengthening cooling demand.

At A Glance:

The July Nymex gas futures contract gained two-tenths of a cent day/day to close at $2.342/MMBtu. The August contract climbed six-tenths of a cent to settle at $2.413.

NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. rose 1.0 cent to $1.975 on Wednesday after back-to-back gains to start the week.

Production slid further in Wednesday’s estimates amid multiple maintenance events across the central and eastern United States,...