NYMEX-Natural gas ends slightly higher with crude
* NYMEX crude futures end up 74 cents a barrel
* Tropical wave in eastern Caribbean not seen as threat
* Mild Northeast, Midwest weather forecasts limit gains
* Record high storage, weak demand also weigh on sentiment
NEW YORK, July 21 (Reuters) - New York Mercantile Exchange natural gas futures, underpinned by firmer crude prices, ended slightly higher on Tuesday, but mild U.S. weather forecasts, record high storage and slumping industrial demand helped limit the upside, traders said.
August natural gas edged up 1.6 cents to close at $3.705 per mmBtu after trading between $3.606 and $3.745. Early last week, the front month hit a 2-1/2 month spot chart low of $3.225. Winter months also finished with modest gains, with January ending up 2.5 cents at $5.647.
"The market has tightened - there's a little less gas around - so people are trying to extend last week's rally, but I'm still concerned about storage filling up, and there's been no (hot) weather in the Northeast or Midwest this summer," said one Texas-based producer, noting firm crude, up almost 75 cents a barrel today, triggered some of the buying in gas.
Traders said a tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean served as a reminder that the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season was still ahead, but many expected record high inventories, sliding demand and fairly mild weather forecasts for the next two weeks to limit any upside.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center on Tuesday was monitoring a tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean but said upper level winds were not favorable for development.
AccuWeather.com still expects temperatures in the Northeast and Midwest, key gas consuming regions, to range from normal to below normal for the next two weeks, with highs mostly drifting in the high-70s to mid-80s Fahrenheit area.
In addition, traders noted the triple-digit heat that plagued Texas, another big gas user, for weeks had finally moderated, with highs mostly expected to remain near seasonal levels in the mid-90s for the next 10 days.
The National Weather Service eight- to 14-day outlook on Monday called for normal or below normal temperatures for most of the nation, with above seasonal readings forecast for the Northwest and Gulf Coast states from Texas to Florida.
On the storage front, last week's report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed total domestic gas inventories climbed to 2.886 trillion cubic feet, still a record high for this time of year.
Inventories now stand at 589 billion cubic feet, or 26 percent, above last year and 454 bcf, or 19 percent, above the five-year average.
Injection estimates for Thursday's EIA report range from 63 bcf to 82 bcf, with most in the high-60s. Stocks rose an adjusted 87 bcf for the same week last year, while the five-year average build for that week is 62 bcf.
If weekly gains match the five-year average for the remaining 16 weeks of the stock building season, storage will begin next winter with a record high 3.832 tcf in the ground.
Some traders expect the recent decline in gas drilling and slowing domestic production to soon lead to a tighter market.
Recent data showed U.S. natural gas production fell for a fourth straight month in June, with output finally dropping below the same year-ago month for the first time this year.
Baker Hughes said Friday the number of U.S. rigs drilling for natural gas fell 7 to 665, down 57 percent from the same week last year and the lowest level in more than seven years.
But with little weather demand on the horizon and storage on track to hit all-time highs, most traders expect the market to remain oversupplied without a broad-based heat wave to kick up demand or a series of summer storms to disrupt supplies.
Chart traders pegged key August support at the 6-1/2-year spot chart low of $3.155 from late April, with further buying expected at $3. August resistance was seen at the 40-day moving average in the $3.76 area and then at $4.
In the cash market, Henry Hub swing quotes eased a penny to $3.48, with late morning deals little changed from Monday at about 14 cents under NYMEX.
Next-day prices on Transco pipeline at the New York city gate gained 3 cents to $3.83 on the warmer Wednesday outlook, while Chicago was 2 cents lower at $3.46.
The NYMEX 12-month Henry Hub strip edged up 2.1 cents to settle at $5.092. Henry Hub open interest on July 20 rose 5,656 contracts to 763,095.