* Withdrawal estimates ranged from 141 bcf to 192 bcf
* Median draw in the Reuters poll was also 163 bcf (Adds weather data, background, table)
NEW YORK, Dec 15 (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas storage levels on average are expected to fall by 163 billion cubic feet when U.S. Energy Information Administration data are released early Thursday, as colder weather last week forced utilities to rely more heavily on storage to meet demand.
In the weekly Reuters survey of 26 industry traders and analysts, withdrawal estimates for the week ended Dec. 10 ranged from 141 to 192 bcf.
Storage fell an adjusted 186 bcf for the same week last year. The five-year average decline for that week is 153 bcf.
The median draw in the survey was also 163 bcf.
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