U.S. natural gas futures retreated Tuesday as the June contract took over as the front-month, sliding toward where May finished. The Nymex June contract made its debut at the front of the curve, with prices moving lower in early trading as traders adjusted positions.

The contract settled down 2% at $2.638 per million Btu. Despite the pullback, analysts noted heating demand is expected to rise across the Upper Midwest and Northeast into the weekend, providing underlying physical support to the market.

"More supportive weather in early May may help neutralize a central bearish fundamental driver since early March," said Eli Rubin of EBW Analytics Group. The shift toward warmer weather patterns could ease some of the supply-side pressure that has weighed on prices in recent months.

The seasonal transition typically brings increased volatility as the market adjusts from winter heating demand to summer cooling patterns, with weather forecasts playing an outsized role in near-term price movements.