Graphics shows the price of light, sweet crude oil for February delivery fell 1.73 U.S. dollars to settle at 80.79 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Jan.12, 2010.(Xinhua/Lu Zhe) Photo Gallery>>>

    NEW YORK, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Crude prices fell on Tuesday as investors expected that warmer weather would cut fuel demand.

    According to weather forecasts, the very cold weather across the central and eastern United States will come to an end during the next several days. Investors expected the milder weather may cut heating oil demand.

    In a monthly report issued on Tuesday, the Energy Department cut a previous forecast for world oil demand growth in 2010 by 20,000 barrels a day.

    Light, sweet crude for February delivery fell 1.73 U.S. dollars to settle at 80.79 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

    In London, Brent crude for February delivery fell 1.79 dollars to 79.18 dollars a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.