NYMEX April natural gas futures traded on either side of unchanged in the US overnight, 

managing to drift fractionally higher ahead of Tuesday's open. 

At 7:10 am ET (1110 GMT) the contract was 0.5 cent higher at $2.656/MMBtu, trading in

 a range of $2.650-$2.667/MMBtu. 

While participants are eyeing weather outlooks and anticipated warmth as spring officially 

begins at 12:15 pm ET on Tuesday, cold weather in the mid-range period continues to driv

e modest upside support amid lingering demand that should keep natural gas inventories 

eroding. 

As spring takes hold, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is projecting war

mer-than-normal weather for much of the country from April through June. 

Providing upside support, however, the market will have to contend with the implications of the 

current and mid-range cold as storage withdrawals are expected to continue.