Natural Gas Prices Rise on Anticipation of Storage Report and Hot Weather.

Natural gas futures rose ahead of the latest government inventory data, with the July Nymex gas futures contract up 6.3 cents at $2.405/MMBtu. National Weather Service data showed robust heat in Texas and neighboring states in the South, with outlooks pointing to these conditions expanding to northern markets as June wears on. Traders anticipate widespread summer conditions could permeate the Lower 48 next week or wait until late June, but either way, air conditioners will be cranking in full force.