By Asjylyn Loder Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Natural gas futures rose for the first time in nine days as higher-than-normal temperatures are forecast throughout the U.S. Northeast, boosting air conditioning demand. Gas climbed as temperatures in New York are forecast to reach a high of 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34 Celsius) today, compared with an average of 80, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures are predicted to reach 96 degrees in Washington, 90 in Boston and 89 in Chicago. “The relentless storms and the warm weather has the market rethinking the short side,” said Michael Rose, director of trading at Angus Jackson Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Right now, the focus is on the heat and the hurricanes rather than the oversupply and no demand.” Natural gas for October delivery gained 10.7 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $3.812 per million British thermal units at 9:19 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The National Hurricane Center forecast that Earl, the third hurricane of the Atlantic season that runs from June through November, would become a “major” storm later in the day with sustained winds exceeding 111 miles per hour. The hurricane isn’t expected to threaten the Gulf of Mexico, which produces 10 percent of U.S. natural gas. The most active part of the Atlantic hurricane season is from Aug. 20 to about Oct. 20, according to William Gray, who pioneered seasonal forecasts at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Natural gas has fallen 32 percent this year on speculation that stockpiles will reach near record highs by the end of October. U.S. gas inventories at the end of October will climb to 3.752 trillion cubic feet, according to the Energy Department. Stockpiles rose to a record 3.84 trillion in November 2009. To contact the reporter on this story: Asjylyn Loder in New York at aloder@bloomberg.net

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