Snowstorms have battered the eastern half of the U.S. this winter, grounding more than 100,000 flights and costing travelers $5.3 billion in expenses and lost workdays, says bloomberg.com.
Punctuated by blasts of arctic cold, the storms also boosted energy demand.
“Natural gas inventories have dropped at a record pace of 2.62 trillion cubic feet since the end of October, toppling the previous high of 2.386 trillion in the winter of 2002-2003, according to Energy Information Administration data going back to 1995.”
“About 49 percent of U.S. households use gas for heating, led by the Midwest, EIA data show.”
For the week ended Feb. 28, gas stockpiles stood at the lowest for the time of year since 2004.