Natural gas futures found fresh footing on Friday, fueled by strong near-term weather demand, and the September contract posted a solid gain to kick off its run as the prompt month.

At A Glance:

  • Mixed weather readings
  • Production holds steady
  • Strong storage supplies

September Nymex gas futures settled at $2.638/MMBtu, up 4.3 cents day/day. October gained 3.9 cents to $2.753.

Ahead of an expected reprieve from toasty temperatures in the Northeast and following a force majeure in Texas, however, NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. dropped 55.5 cents on Friday to $2.505.

The former August contract rolled off the books Thursday with a steep 17.3-cent loss and was down 8% in its final week. The September contract shed 9.8 cents Thursday, hindered by a government report that showed...