Natural gas futures inched upward early Thursday as market participants prepped for the latest government inventory data and the potential for a seasonally high headline figure. ExpandAt a Glance:Market braces for 30s Bcf storage buildInventories above five-year averageNortheast exception to the heat ruleThe August New York Mercantile Exchange gas futures contract was up 2.5 cents to $2.950/MMBtu just before 8:30 a.m. That put gas in storage 6.4% above the five-year average. “Ample storage and a well-supplied market continue to outweigh otherwise supportive summer weather,” NRG Energy analysts said. NatGasWeather noted forecasts advertised widespread heat this week and next, although one major exception checked total cooling demand levels.