09:25 AM EDT, 08/29/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Natural gas edged higher early on Friday, rising for a fourth day after a day-prior report showed U.S. inventories rose less than expected last week, though forecasts see a cool start to September, cutting into heating demand

Gas for October delivery was last seen up US$0.01 to US$2.96, the highest since Aug. 8 but down 3.9% over the past month.

"As we come to the end of Caesar's month and the unofficial end of summer greets us this weekend, Summer 2025 feels like a version of "in like a lion, out like a lamb" with mild weather across most of the US leading to muted demands and calm markets. Some strength in term gas markets has been seen over the past few days as short covering pushed us off the bottom and stability in LNG feed gas demands along with below average injections into storage gave the bulls a reason to come out of hiding," Gary Cunningham, Director of Market Research at Tradition Energy, wrote.

Long-term forecasts from the National Weather Service see nearly all states east of the Rocky Mountains with cooler than seasonal temperatures over the next six to 14 days, lowering air-conditioning use.

In its weekly report released Thursday, the Energy Information Administration said inventories of the fuel stored for winter use rose by just 18-billion cubic feet last week, under expectations for a rise of around 24-bcf. The rise left inventories at 3.22-trillion cubic feet, 5% above the five-year average.