Natural gas futures dropped lower Thursday after the latest government report on gas stockpiles showed that storage is filling quickly as cooler fall temperatures sweep over swaths of the Lower 48.

EIA storage sept. 4

The October Nymex contract settled at $2.323/MMBtu, down 8.3 cents day/day. November fell 7.5 cents to $2.798.

NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. fell 15.5 cents to $1.860.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Thursday reported an injection of 70 Bcf natural gas storage for the week ending Sept 4. The result was only slightly higher than expectations set by major polls, but it reinforced simmering concerns about fall containment challenges as cooling demand fades along with summer heat.

Before the report, a Bloomberg survey produced a median estimate of 68 Bcf, while...