Natural-gas prices briefly surged Tuesday morning as updated weather forecasts suggested warmer weather and a short-term bump in demand. Natural gas for September delivery is up 8.7 cents, or 2.3%, at $3.879 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract bounced off of a nearly nine-month intraday low on Monday and has now returned to the middle of its 23-cent trading range from the past month. Several weather models are showing the potential for increased heat for the next week, especially in the south and the Midwest. Hot weather leads to increased demand for air conditioning and the gas-fired electricity that powers it. There have also been recent signs that power plants are using a higher proportion of gas, relative to coal, as gas prices have hit their lowest points of the year. “Perhaps there’s a temporary bottom,” said Anthony […]