Natural gas forward gains were widespread during the Dec. 8-14 period as forecasts showed Arctic chills sweeping through the eastern two-thirds of the Lower 48 heading into the back half of December. Meanwhile, already-elevated western hubs saw prices moderate, according to NGI’s Forward Look.

As the market locked onto the coming cold blast and a looming spike in heating demand, Henry Hub fixed price forwards rallied 70.7 cents during the Dec. 8-14 period to finish at $6.440/MMBtu. That set the tone for fixed price gains for most Lower 48 hubs during the week.

The notable exceptions were out West, where fixed prices remained elevated but declined sharply week/week. Malin January fixed prices tumbled $5.622 to $13.287 during the period.

Nymex futures, meanwhile, generally...