Natural gas futures fell in early trading Wednesday as analysts looked for wind generation to curb the bullish effect of peak summer heat in the forecast this week. As of around 8:50 a.m. ET, the September Nymex contract was down 5.6 cents to $4.033/MMBtu.

NGI Morning Natural Gas Price & Markets Coverage

From a national gas-weighted degree day standpoint, widespread heat over the eastern half of the country this week will result in the hottest stretch of the summer, according to Bespoke Weather Services.

“Muting the bullish effect of the strong heat, however, remains much higher wind versus what we saw last week and the week before, although the wind declines back to low levels by Friday and into the weekend,” Bespoke said. “Heat pulls back into early next week, but into the final third of August, another round of above...