Natural gas futures strengthened for the third day in a row on Friday as fluctuating weather models left traders not wanting to get caught short ahead of the weekend. The January Nymex gas futures contract closed out the week at $6.245/MMBtu, up 28.3 cents on the day. February futures climbed 26.2 cents to $6.082.

At A Glance:

  • Production falls to 97 Bcf/d
  • Forecasts for mixed demand
  • NGI models draw of 41 Bcf

Spot gas on the West Coast stole the show again on Friday, with a double dose of wintry weather sending prices surging to $55.00. NGI’s Spot Gas National Avg. picked up $1.945 to reach $10.815.

After what is expected to be an unusually warm first half of December, forecasts have shifted in a much more bullish direction in recent days. Both the Global Forecast System...