As the Gulf Coast braced for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Zeta, and as traders mulled a mixed temperature outlook, natural gas futures hovered close to even early Wednesday. The expiring November Nymex contract was up 1.1 cents to $3.030/MMBtu at around 8:40 a.m. ET; December was off 1.1 cents to $3.300.

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Zeta had reached hurricane status and was continuing to strengthen  as of 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Carrying maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, the storm was about 265 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

“On the forecast track, the center of Zeta will approach the northern Gulf Coast this morning and make landfall in southeastern Louisiana this afternoon,” the NHC said. Additional strengthening was forecast...