With the start of fall just days away, cooler weather may not signal an early frost and gas logs burning in the fireplace.

Reporting to the board of commissioners for the August meeting, General Manager Tommy Bible said the long range forecast is for above normal temperatures through November. This follows a warm spring and the hottest summer on record in the US.

However, weather forecasters are saying winter will be colder in East Tennessee and there will be more precipitation. To get customers ready, Jefferson Cocke County Utility District has been busy filling propane tanks.

Natural gas supplies in the US are above last year's levels and five-year high amount which may explain low natural gas prices, said Bible. He noted that despite the threat of Hurricane Isaac to the Gulf of Mexico gas and oil wells, prices declined.

Only one day was there a minor problem with supplies, when Chevron reduced pipeline gas flow to Tennessee. Bible said that JCCUD was able to make up the difference from its Appalachian region suppliers.

It also helped keep the flow of gas to industrial users because Bush Brothers was taking plant downtime for maintenance. So rates were "fairly stable" at $1.038 per decatherm for residential customers and about 41 cents per decatherm for industrial interruptible.

For more details, please see the latest edition of the Newport Plain Talk.