Natural gas futures on Wednesday rebounded in force after a steep slump earlier in the week, bolstered by signs of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) recovery, forecasts of greater weather-driven demand and new storage estimates that indicated containment worries may have been overblown.

The October Nymex contract popped 29.1 cents day/day and settled at $2.125/MMBtu. The prompt month had plunged more than 20 cents over the two previous trading sessions. November, meanwhile, also bounced back Wednesday from a substantial drop the prior day and gained 19.7 cents to $2.794.

Additionally, in what analysts say reflects anticipation of a winter rally as more Americans burn gas to heat their homes and businesses, futures for delivery in December through March continued to trade above...