NEW YORK: US natural gas futures climbed about 2% on Wednesday on rising flows to the nation’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants and expectations utilities pulled more gas out of storage than usual to heat homes and businesses during extreme cold for a second week in a row last week.

Analysts, however, projected rising output and forecasts for mild weather and low heating demand through the start of the new year should keep storage withdrawals smaller than normal in coming weeks.