Gas Output Fell More Than in Similar Freezes, Forcing Blackouts

Natural gas output in the US’s largest basin plunged last week under freezing conditions that it was able to withstand just five years ago.

Appalachian Basin production shrank by as much as 26% as temperatures in the Pittsburgh area dropped to as low as -5F (-20C). Under similar conditions five years ago, the drop never surpassed 10%, according to production data compiled by BloombergNEF. Below-freezing temperatures in 2019 lead to a decline of roughly 7%.

The drop in supplies sowed chaos in the power markets, forcing Duke Energy Corp. and the Tennessee Valley Authority to resort to rolling blackouts to ...