Adds closing prices, analyst quote

By Scott DiSavino

Nov 6 (Reuters) -U.S. natural gas futures climbed about 3% on Wednesday on a drop in daily output so far this month due to pipeline issues and the evacuation of some oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Rafael, and on forecasts for slightly cooler weather and higher heating demand next week than previously expected.

Front-month gas futures NGc1 for December delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 7.7 cents, or 2.9%, to settle at $2.747 per million British thermal units.

Donald Trump was elected U.S. president, capping a remarkable comeback four years after he was voted out of the White House.

"President Trump’s return to the White House will reverberate across the natural gas sector, with predominant impacts on the demand side via lifting the moratorium on new LNG export approvals, and a slower energy transition improving long-term power sector gas demand," analysts at energy consulting firm EBW Analytics said in a note.

"The natural gas supply curve could also shift outward, with an eventual more gas-friendly FERC (U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) likely to speed gas infrastructure with lesser consideration of environmental impacts," EBW added.

In its latest forecast, theU.S. National Hurricane Center saidRafael would crash acrossCuba later Wednesday as it moves from the Caribbean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico. By Sunday, Rafaelis expected to weaken into a tropical storm in the western Gulf of Mexico.

It is no longer certain whether the storm will reach land along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Earlier, the NHC expected Rafael to hit Texas or Louisiana early next week.

Hurricanes can boost gas prices by cutting output, although only about 2% of the nation's gas comes from the federal offshore Gulf of Mexico area. But hurricanes can also reduce prices by destroying demand for gas through power outages and knocking liquefied natural gas export plants out of service. Some storms do both.

About 7% of U.S. gas production from the Gulf of Mexico was shut in due to Rafael, according to the U.S.Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

SUPPLY AND DEMAND

Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states slid to 100.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in November, down from 101.3 bcfd in October. That compared with a record 105.3 bcfd in December 2023.

On a daily basis, output over the past four days was on track to drop by around 2.7 bcfd to a preliminary nine-month low of 98.9 bcfd on Wednesday. Analysts noted that preliminary data is often revised later in the day.

In addition to curtailments for Rafael in the Gulf of Mexico, the daily output decline was also related to a few force majeures and reductions on Kinder Morgan's El Paso pipe in New Mexico over the past couple of days, and maintenance on Kinder Morgan's Permian Highway pipe in Texas.

LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, would rise from 100.9 bcfd this week to 102.4 bcfd next week.

The amount of gas flowing to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants fell to an average of 12.3 bcfd so far in November, down from 13.1 bcfd in October. That compares with a monthly record high of 14.7 bcfd in December 2023.

Reporting by Scott DiSavino
Editing by Bernadette Baum and Leslie Adler

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

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NYMEX Henry Hub futures only 0#1CFTC023651

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