09:14 AM EDT, 07/18/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Natural gas traded higher early on Friday as high summer temperatures in most markets continues to support cooling demand.

Gas for August delivery was last seen up US$0.05 to US$3.59 per million British thermal units.

The rise comes as long-term forecasts see extreme heat for much of the central United States in its six to 14 day outlook, and hotter than seasonal temperatures for nearly all states over the period, keeping cooling demand high.

The Energy Information Administration on Thursday released its weekly survey of inventories of the fuel, reporting stocks climbed by 46-billion cubic feet last week, close to expectations. Inventories ended the week at 3.05-trillion cubic feet, 6.2% above the five-year average.