Natural gas futures floundered a second consecutive day on Friday as markets continued to digest a bearish storage report, looming fall weather and an averted railroad strike that could have snarled supply chains and wreaked havoc across the U.S. economy. The October Nymex natural gas futures contract settled at $7.764/MMBtu, down 56.0 cents day/day. A day earlier, the prompt month dropped 79.0 cents.

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The November futures contract on Friday fell 56.1 cents to $7.811.

NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. shed 62.5 cents to $7.040, dropping alongside the broader sell-off.

Hotter temperatures in the week ahead, including highs in the 80s over the Midwest and East, should spur solid seasonal cooling demand at times, NatGasWeather said. However, the firm also expects greater wind energy...