Spot natural gas prices weakened from Feb. 6-10 as temperatures thawed considerably following an early-February Arctic blast. Though pockets of chilly weather remained, losses upward of $20 in the Northeast drove NGI’s Weekly Spot Gas National Avg. down $3.570 to $2.685.

Nymex natural gas futures, meanwhile, ticked up a few cents throughout the period as traders tried to establish a floor for a market staring down mostly bearish fundamental factors in the near term. With hints in the weather data that frigid air may return to the Lower 48 late in the month, the March Nymex futures contract settled Friday at $2.514, up 5.7 cents from Monday’s close.

Most of the Lower 48’s cash markets seemingly took a breather after the prior week’s weather-induced volatility, but a few...