Snow

Lows slipping into the low to mid teens Tuesday and often accompanied by snow generated higher numbers, including some triple-digit spikes in the Northeast and a few other locations Monday. However, reflecting some weather moderation and easing of supply tightness since late last week, most of the market recorded losses.

The first taste of cold and snow in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions this past weekend combined with another cold front on Monday in the West to help give natural gas futures bulls some traction as the January contract shot 38.5 cents higher on Monday to close at $4.971.

The late winter storm that dumped snow Sunday night into Monday morning over much of the Eastern Seaboard was easily trumped by a fresh dose of bleak economic indicators, which helped to push April natural gas futures on Monday to close at $4.152, down 4.6 cents from Friday’s finish.

Prices continued to rise at most points Thursday as frigid temperatures and various types of frozen precipitation (sleet, freezing rain and snow) occupied more and more of the U.S. and Canada. A 32.3-cent spike by January futures on Wednesday gave extra support to Thursday’s cash market.

Although cold fronts or snow were in the Friday forecast for sections of all four main geographic regions of the U.S., the fact that unseasonably moderate conditions had returned to the overall weather picture carried the trading day Thursday and resulted in diving prices across the board. The screen’s prior-day plunge of nearly half a dollar and increasing comfort levels about storage put further downward pressure on cash quotes.

A Nor’easter dumped snow from D.C. to Boston yesterday, fuelingthe bullish momentum in the gas futures pit. It also forced Nymexto close up shop an hour early and plan for a one-hour delayedopening today.

Weather that either was already bringing snow or was expected todo so soon in several regions, accompanied by some initial screensupport, pushed the cash market sharply higher Thursday at nearlyall points. Only the PG&E citygate and Southern Californiaborder registered drops amid overall gains of about 50 cents ormore. Many of the larger increases were clustered in the snowyRockies/Pacific Northwest.

The fundamental of having snow and/or frigid temperaturescontinuing to pervade most markets was still around, but cashtraders must have been looking at hints that at least a moderatethaw might begin in several areas today. They again sent priceslower by about a dollar or more Wednesday in most cases.

Snow and cold temperatures in the Great Lakes and the Northeastyesterday and some follow-through buying on Friday’s strength sentgas futures to a new all-time high of $6.360/MMBtu. December endedthe session up 14.9 cents to $6.249/MMBtu.