Natural gas futures on Wednesday advanced for a fourth straight day, probing higher from the two-and-a-half-year highs reached earlier this week, with demand robust and anticipation high ahead of the federal government’s storage report Thursday.

At A Glance:

  • Forecasts call for extensive heat
  • Production remains light
  • Traders await EIA storage data

The August Nymex contract rose 8.3 cents day/day and settled at $3.959/MMBtu on Wednesday. September gained 8.6 cents to $3.938.

NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. advanced 5.0 cents to $3.810 amid solid gains throughout the nation’s midsection.

Bespoke Weather Services said forecasts Wednesday again tilted even hotter for the next two weeks, adding a couple more gas-weighted degree days and extending a week-to-date daily...