Cooler forecast trends for next week and the prospect of restored pipeline capacity uncorking additional supply helped send natural gas futures sharply lower in early trading Friday. The September Nymex contract was down 11.4 cents to $3.945/MMBtu at around 8:55 a.m. ET.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

The latest 15-day forecast from Bespoke Weather Services shifted somewhat cooler day/day, including projections for less heat into the eastern half of the nation for next week.

However, “we continue to see above normal heat return as we head into the following week,” Bespoke said. “…This tentatively places the week ending Aug. 13 close to this week’s level of heat.”

When measuring in total national gas-weighted degree days, the 15-day period overall projects to come in close to the five-year average...