09:24 AM EDT, 10/24/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Natural gas traded lower for a third-straight session early Friday after a day-prior report showed a larger than expected rise in U.S. inventories of the fuel.

Gas for November delivery was last seen down US$0.02 to $3.33 per million British thermal units.

The drop follows on Thursday's report from the U.S. Energy Information Service that showed U.S inventories of the fuel stored for winter use rose by 87-billion cubic feet last week, well ahead of the consensus estimate for a rise of 81-bcf, according to NatGasWeather,. The rise left inventories at 3.81-trillion cubic feet, 4.5% above the five-year average.

The drop comes even as long-term forecasts cool, with the National Weather Service's six to 14 day forecast expecting most states to see cooler than seasonal temperatures over the period, offering some early demand after the start of the heating season on Nov. 1.