Adds latest prices

By Scott DiSavino

Dec 6 (Reuters) -U.S. natural gas futures were little changed on Friday as rising output and forecasts for warmer-than-expected weather over the next two weeks offset an increase in the amount of gas flowing to liquefied natural gas export plants to a 10-month high.

Front-month gas futures NGc1 for January delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 0.3 cent to settle at $3.076 per million British thermal units.

For the week, the contract was down about 9% after gaining about 49% over the prior six weeks.

Some analysts have said that winter and the high prices it usually brings could already be over before the season officially starts now that the heavily traded March-April "widow maker" spread started trading in unusual contango this week. That means the April contract is priced higher than the March contract.

March is the last month of the winter storage withdrawal season, and April is the first month of the summer storage injection season. Because gas is primarily a winter heating fuel, traders have said summer prices should not trade above winter.

It is possible that gas prices have already hit their 2024 peak in November when they reached $3.56 per mmBtu. Over the past five years, prices hit their yearly highs in January 2023, August 2022, October 2021 and 2020, and January 2019.

In the spot market, cold weather in West Texas helped boost next-day gas prices at the Waha hub NG-WAH-WTX-SNL in the Permian shale, the nation's biggest oil-producing basin, to their highest level since January.

Wintry weather in New England also boosted next-day gas prices to more than $14 per mmBtu and power to more than $100 per megawatt hour (MWh) in the gas pipeline-constrained six-state region.

That compares with averages in New England of $2.55 per mmBtu for gas and $41 per MWh for power so far this year.

Power and gas prices usually spike in New England when the winter weather turns cold because there is not enough gas pipeline capacity into the six-state region to both fuel power plants and heat homes and businesses. That forces several generators to switch to more expensive oil and liquefied natural gas to fuel power plants.

SUPPLY AND DEMAND

Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states rose to 102.4 billion cubic feet per day so far in December, up from 101.5 bcfd in November. That compares with a record 105.3 bcfd in December 2023.

Meteorologists projected the weather in the Lower 48 will turn from mostly colder than normal from now through Dec. 7 to mostly warmer than normal from Dec. 8-21.

With warmer weather coming, LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, would drop from 137.3 bcfd this week to 130.6 bcfd next week and 124.6 bcfd in two weeks.

The amount of gas flowing to the seven big operating U.S. LNG export plants rose to an average of 14.3 bcfd so far in December, up from 13.6 bcfd in November. That compares with a monthly record high of 14.7 bcfd in December 2023.

On a daily basis, LNG feedgas was on track to hit a 10-month high of 14.8 bcfd after flows to Cheniere Energy's LNG.N 4.5-bcfd Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana rose to a seven-month high of 5.1 bcfd.

Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Paul Simao and Jonathan Oatis

For gas data on the LSEG terminal type ENERGY in the search bar and then go to the GAS drop down and the NORTH AMERICA drop down.

For Interactive Map, type 'Interactive Map' in the box at upper left of the LSEG terminal

For graphics on Baker Hughes rig counts, see: http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/15/rigcount/index.html

For next-day SNL U.S. gas prices, see: 0#SNL-NG

For next-day SNL U.S. power prices, see: 0#SNL-PWR

For U.S. natgas price and storage polls, see: NGAS/POLL

For U.S. nuclear power outages, see: NUKE/

For U.S. Northwest hydro power report, see: NWRFC

For U.S./Canada natural gas rig count vs Henry Hub futures price, see: http://tmsnrt.rs/2eT9k44

For the U.S. natural gas speed guide, see: USGAS

For the U.S. power speed guide, see: USPOWER

To determine CFTC managed money net position add (NYMEX Henry Hub options and futures combined 3023651MNET) plus (ICE Henry Hub options and futures combined 3023391MNET divided by four) plus (NYMEX Henry Hub swaps options and futures combined 303565BMNET divided by four) plus (NYMEX Henry Hub penultimate gas swaps 303565CMNET divided by four)

NYMEX Henry Hub options and futures combined 0#3CFTC023651

NYMEX Henry Hub futures only 0#1CFTC023651

ICE Henry Hub options and futures combined 0#3CFTC023391

NYMEX Henry Hub swaps options and futures combined 0#3CFTC03565B

NYMEX Henry Hub Penultimate gas swaps 0#3CFTC03565C