Where did all the natural gas go this summer? Into the ground!
As if you needed to be told, this is a hot summer. According to data from NOAA, June 2010 average temperature for the contiguous United States was 71.4°F or 2.2°F above the long-term average (1901-2000). As a result, the U.S. had the 8th warmest June on record (116 years). North Carolina, Delaware and New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country, all reported record warmth. Cooling demand was very strong for market areas in the East, Midwest, Southeast and Southwest.
July posted the 17th warmest on record with an average temperature of 75.5°F or 1.3°F above the long-term average. Cooling demand in the East was again very high, but eased elsewhere.
For instance, temperatures in two of the largest markets for gas-fired cooling demand, Texas and Oklahoma saw considerably cooler Julys. Oklahoma shifted from the 6th warmest June to only the 47th warmest July, while demand in Texas moved from the 8th warmest June to the 90th (!) warmest July.
In both June and July the West consuming region was spared the heat. The weather patterns reflect the composition of this season’s restocking of natural gas supplies.
