Crude prices declined sharply Monday on forecasts of warmer weather in the United States and expectation that OPEC would leave output unchanged at Thursday's meeting.

Light sweet crude for delivery in April, dropped 1.14 dollars to 58.91 dollars a barrel on the NYMEX while Brent crude fell 39 cents to 60.74 dollars a barrel on London's ICE futures exchange.

The National Weather Service predicted above-normal temperatures in most parts of the U.S. Northeast and Midwest, the major heating oil consumer of the world, for the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, analysts believed that OPEC, which is to meet Thursday in Vienna, Austria Thursday, would leave output unchanged since Qatar's Oil Minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said current crude prices indicated there was no need for further cut.

OPEC has reduced supply by half a million barrels per day from Feb. 1 following a 1.2 million-barrel-per day cut since November.

Source: Xinhua