Natural gas rises to $2.93/MMBtu, five-week high

Updated on August 31, 2026. · Written by Gregorio

VERIFIED Natural gas (Henry Hub benchmark) trades at $2.93/MMBtu, up 1.42% on the session, per Trading Economics checked on August 31, 2026. That is its highest level in more than five weeks. Over the past month it is up 5.32%, though it remains 1.80% below a year ago.

What's behind the rise

HYPOTHESIS Several market outlets attribute the rise to forecasts of above-average temperatures across the eastern two-thirds of the US from September 2-11, which would keep cooling demand elevated, per Trading Economics. This is the explanation circulating this week, not a fact independently verified by this site.

VERIFIED US liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports in the third quarter of 2026 are forecast at 16.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), down 0.2 Bcf/d from last month's forecast; maintenance at Freeport LNG, which began July 10, was expected to be completed by late August and affects 2.0 Bcf/d of nominal export capacity, per the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

What this does NOT mean

HYPOTHESIS The EIA itself lowered its 2026 Henry Hub average price forecast by more than 6% from July, from $3.67 to $3.44/MMBtu, citing robust domestic production and elevated storage levels. A stretch of hot days does not change that underlying well-supplied-market diagnosis — the two signals coexist, neither cancels the other.

Sources consulted on August 31, 2026: Trading Economics: Natural Gas, EIA: Short-Term Energy Outlook.

Educational notice: this article is analysis based on public data, may contain errors, and is not financial advice. It is not a recommendation to buy or sell. The decision and the risk are always the reader's own.