Natural Gas Storage: -71 Bcf
Mild weather leads to light draw from inventories.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a weekly withdrawal of 71 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in Lower 48 natural gas storage inventories for the week ending January 9, 2026 (Link). Total inventories now stand at 3,185 Bcf, 33 Bcf (1.0%) above year-ago levels and 106 Bcf (3.4%) above the 2021-2025 average for the same week.
Storage inventories posted the second historically small storage withdrawal in the past three weeks, as stocks dropped by just 71 Bcf during the first full week of 2026. The draw came in less than half of the five-year average for the same week and less than a third of the year-ago benchmark. The same week in 2025 was marked by colder-than-normal weather across most of the country, in contrast to the especially mild conditions experienced during the report week. As a result, storage levels flipped back to a small surplus relative to year-ago levels and saw the cushion to the five-year average swell to more than 100 Bcf.
