Natural gas futures hovered close to even in early trading Friday as the market continued to look to the second half of February for a possible shift away from the exceptionally mild winter weather pressuring prices.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

The March Nymex contract was unchanged at $2.050/MMBtu at around 8:43 a.m. ET. April was off a fraction of a penny at $2.063.

The warmer than normal temperatures expected to dominate much of the country this month could start to fade for the eastern Lower 48 heading into the back half of February, according to Maxar’s Weather Desk.

“A pattern change is starting to evolve during the 11- to 15-day period, as a ridge builds northward along the West Coast and a trough settles into the Eastern Half,” Maxar said. “…Still, expect above and much above normal...