Light At The End Of The Tunnel Emerges For US East After Weeks Of Winter Madness

A sharp reversal in US natural gas futures was seen early Monday after skyrocketing prices in the second half of January, when dangerously cold air and a major winter storm triggered freeze-offs across critical NatGas infrastructure. The weather-driven supply disruptions coincided with a spike in heating demand, unleashing stress on power grids across much of the eastern US and driving NatGas spot prices sharply higher before the pullback, as well as power prices…

The front-month NatGas contract plunged as much as 17% to $3.620 per million British thermal units in early Asian trading, erasing Friday’s 11% gain after weeks of record-breaking cold.

New weather models show milder conditions across parts of the Lower 48 over the next two weeks.

There’s some light at the end of the tunnel for the winter-weary East Coast.

A possible moderating trend during the week of Feb. 9! pic.twitter.com/DbflucI5qh

— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) February 1, 2026

By mid-month, temperatures in the US are expected to revert to 30-year seasonal norms.

For our readers in Washington, DC… 

Let’s recap weather and energy reporting over the last few weeks, in which we led the discussion on NatGas freeze-offs and power grid stress. It’s clear that fossil fuel power generation saved many grids from collapse across the eastern US.

Recap:

• “Sleep Tight, America. We Got This”: NatGas And Coal Power Plants Prevented Grid Collapse During Historic Winter Blast

• Wild Few Weeks For NatGas. Goldman Weighs In With Post-Winter Storm Energy Commentary

• NatGas Rips Higher As Arctic Blast Knocks 12% Of U.S. production Offline

• Power Diverted From Data Centers To Households Across PJM Network Amid Historic Freeze

Our takeaway from the record cold and severe winter weather is clear: the Trump administration’s push to boost reliable fossil fuel power generation helped prevent grid collapse. Dispatchable coal and NatGas plants, some of which had been slated for early retirement under the Democratic Party’s insane green-energy policies, proved essential in stabilizing power systems under extreme winter stress.

With nuclear capacity additions unlikely to be added to the grid until the 2030s, fossil fuels remain the backbone of the US economy and grid reliability. This latest weather episode reinforces an optically displeasing reality for radical-left Democrats: energy policy must prioritize reliability and resilience over toxic green ideology that appears to do more to self-sabotage the nation than improve life for everyone. Just look at the mess Europe is in.