09:10 AM EDT, 08/22/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Natural gas prices weakened early on Friday as forecasts see cooler weather on the way even as a day-prior report showed a smaller than expected rise in U.S. inventories of the fuel.

Gas for September delivery was last seen down US$0.05 to US$2.77 per million British thermal units.

The drop comes as long-term forecasts from the National Weather Service expect most states to see lower than seasonal temperatures over its six to 14-day outlook, cutting into cooling demand.

In its weekly survey, the Energy Information Administration on Thursday reported inventories of the fuel stored for winter use fell by 13-billion cubic feet under expectations for a rise of around 20-bcf. The rise left inventories at 3.2-trillion cubic feet, 5.8% above the five-year average.