That put the contract down about 2% from where the August future closed on Wednesday when it was still the front month and on track for its lowest settle since July 21
On its first day as the front-month, gas futures for August delivery rose 14.1 cents, or 3.9%, from Monday's close to $3.734 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) .
"In the Indian market there was some slowdown, but the situation is not as bad as last year," Manoj Jain.
Due to falling local gas consumption in April and May, GAIL diverted two cargoes to international markets while Petronet deferred one cargo for delivery in June.
On its first day as the front-month, gas futures for July delivery fell 2.9 cents, or 1.0%, from where the July contract closed on Wednesday to $2.998 per million British thermal units.
US pipeline exports to Mexico, meanwhile, averaged 6.0 bcfd so far in May, just off April's monthly record of 6.1 bcfd, Refinitiv data showed.
That US price gain came despite forecasts for milder weather and lower demand over the next two weeks than previously expected, a decline in exports and a slow but steady increase in output this month.
The July contract, which will soon be the front-month, gained about 3 cents to $3.00 per mmBtu.
Monthly production touched an all-time high of 3.145 bcfd in November 2019.
Producers burned off, or flared, 0.184 bcfd of gas in March, down from 0.203 bcfd in February, the commission said, dropping the percentage of gas flared to 6% from 8%.
Front-month gas futures rose 16 cents, or 5.4%, to $3.121 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) .
Data provider Refinitiv said gas output in the Lower 48 US states averaged 90.9 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in May, up from 90.6 bcfd in April, but still well below November 2019's monthly record of 95.4 bcfd.
Front-month gas futures rose 2.8 cents, or 0.9%, to $2.994 per million British thermal units.
That kept the front-month in overbought territory with a Relative Strength Index (RSI) over 70 for a seventh straight day for the first time since November 2019.
On its second to last day as the front-month, gas futures for April delivery remained unchanged at $2.568 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) .
Traders noted the 200-day moving average has become a strong price floor or technical level of support. The front-month has not settled below the 200-day since September 2020.
If correct, last week's decrease would cut stockpiles to 1.776 trillion cubic feet (tcf), which would be 5.3% below the five-year average of 1.875 tcf for this time of year.
Front-month gas futures fell 3 cents, or 1.2%, to $2.498 per million British thermal units.