After popping in mid-June, weekly cash prices essentially held even at strong levels amid persistent summer heat and solid demand across large swaths of the country.

EIA storage june 18

NGI’s Weekly Spot Natural Gas National Avg. for the June 21-25 trading period inched 1.0 cent lower to $3.160. However, that followed a jump of 24.0 cents a week earlier.

Air conditioners were cranking across the country, with highs in the upper 80s over much of the Midwest, 90s in Texas and the South, and 100s in the Southwest deserts.

At the end of the trading week, prices were mixed in several regions but up across most of the South. Henry Hub advanced 6.0 cents to $3.280, while Pine Prairie tacked on 7.0 cents to $3.250 and Florida Gas Zone 3 picked up 8.5 cents to $3.355.

The July Nymex contract,...