Natural Gas Market Note | 05.22.2026
Prices fall sharply into the holiday weekend.
Natural gas futures were down across the curve on Friday ahead of the three-day weekend. The June 2026 contract, in its third-to-last day of trading, gave up about 11 cents to finish near $2.91 per MMBtu. The contract was ultimately unable to sustain upside momentum above $3.00 after breaching that benchmark on Monday. Losses were substantial through March 2027, with the Winter 2026-27 strip pushing to fresh four-year lows below $3.75 per MMBtu.
Today’s losses came as near-term temperature forecasts showed no indication of a return of major heat to key markets. Warmer-than-normal anomalies appear confined to the northern tier of the country, while Texas and the East Coast look likely to be spared from significant cooling needs. That outlook, combined with ongoing seasonal maintenance at Gulf Coast LNG export terminals, worked to dry up bullish sentiment and drag prices lower to round out the week.
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