Natural gas futures resumed their climb on Monday, buoyed by near-record export demand and the arrival of chilly weather. With the latest forecast extending and intensifying the cooler temperatures, the May Nymex contract settled 6.9 cents higher at $2.749. June climbed 6.4 cents to $2.818.

Storage snapshot

Spot gas prices also moved higher in most areas outside of the Northeast, California and the Desert Southwest. NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. rose 4.5 cents to $2.590. 

Coming off a strong week in which Nymex futures put up gains on all but one day, the cooler shift in the latest weather models added to the momentum. Bespoke Weather Services said although the European model was the first model to show the chillier weather lasting through the end of the month, the other weather models have...