Louisiana frost dates
The typical last spring frost ranges from Jan 24 in Metairie to Feb 28 in Shreveport.
5 of the 5 Louisiana cities listed have typical frost dates. The longest frost-free season is 341 days in Metairie; the shortest is 268 days in Shreveport. For a single address, look up your ZIP code: rural ZIPs use their nearest suitable station.
| City | Last spring frost | 1 in 10 after | First fall frost | 1 in 10 before | Hard freeze (28°F) | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge | Feb 25 | Mar 19 | Nov 26 | Nov 7 | Feb 6 / Dec 11 | 276 days |
| Lafayette | Feb 13 | Mar 10 | Dec 4 | Nov 13 | Jan 27 / Dec 30 | 299 days |
| Metairie | Jan 24 | Feb 23 | Jan 2 | Dec 5 | rare (36% of years) | 341 days |
| New Orleans | Jan 24 | Feb 23 | Jan 2 | Dec 5 | rare (36% of years) | 341 days |
| Shreveport | Feb 28 | Mar 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 7 | Feb 11 / Dec 10 | 268 days |
Reading the table: Lafayette
In Lafayette, the last spring frost typically comes around Feb 13: in half of years it is earlier, in half later. In 1 year in 10 it comes after Mar 10, 25 days later, so tender plants set out after that date have a 90% chance of escaping frost. In fall, the first frost typically arrives around Dec 4, and in 1 year in 10 before Nov 13. Hard freezes (28°F) usually end earlier in spring and start later in fall: around Jan 27 and Dec 30 in Lafayette.
Frost dates at more Louisiana weather stations
NOAA stations across Louisiana used by our ZIP code lookup, named for the town they are in.
| Station | Elevation | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria | 87 ft | Feb 27 (1 in 10 after Mar 18) | Nov 27 (before Nov 7) |
| Alexandria Esler Rgnl Airport | 112 ft | Mar 16 (1 in 10 after Apr 6) | Nov 8 (before Oct 26) |
| Amite | 170 ft | Mar 7 (1 in 10 after Mar 31) | Nov 18 (before Nov 1) |
| Ashland | 240 ft | Mar 24 (1 in 10 after Apr 16) | Nov 7 (before Oct 22) |
| Bastrop | 150 ft | Mar 15 (1 in 10 after Apr 3) | Nov 12 (before Oct 29) |
| Benton 5E | 200 ft | Mar 14 (1 in 10 after Apr 1) | Nov 14 (before Oct 31) |
| Bienville 3 Ne | 307 ft | Mar 19 (1 in 10 after Apr 10) | Nov 9 (before Oct 27) |
| Bogalusa | 100 ft | Mar 2 (1 in 10 after Mar 24) | Nov 23 (before Nov 6) |
| Boyce 3 Wnw | 110 ft | Mar 2 (1 in 10 after Mar 19) | Nov 27 (before Nov 7) |
| Brusly 2 W | 20 ft | Feb 28 (1 in 10 after Mar 21) | Nov 24 (before Nov 6) |
| Bunkie | 80 ft | Feb 28 (1 in 10 after Mar 21) | Nov 24 (before Nov 5) |
| Calhoun Rsch Stn | 120 ft | Mar 28 (1 in 10 after Apr 14) | Nov 5 (before Oct 24) |
| Carville 2 Sw | 25 ft | Feb 9 (1 in 10 after Mar 10) | Dec 13 (before Nov 16) |
| Clinton 5 Se | 200 ft | Mar 13 (1 in 10 after Apr 4) | Nov 17 (before Nov 1) |
| Columbia Lock | 82 ft | Mar 5 (1 in 10 after Mar 27) | Nov 22 (before Nov 4) |
| Covington 4 Nnw | 40 ft | Mar 12 (1 in 10 after Apr 3) | Nov 18 (before Nov 1) |
| Crowley 2 Ne | 25 ft | Feb 20 (1 in 10 after Mar 14) | Dec 4 (before Nov 13) |
| De Ridder | 190 ft | Mar 1 (1 in 10 after Mar 25) | Nov 25 (before Nov 8) |
| Donaldsonville 4 Sw | 30 ft | Feb 21 (1 in 10 after Mar 15) | Dec 5 (before Nov 14) |
| Elizabeth | 150 ft | Mar 3 (1 in 10 after Mar 28) | Nov 25 (before Nov 3) |
| Eunice | 50 ft | Feb 26 (1 in 10 after Mar 17) | Nov 27 (before Nov 8) |
| Farmerville | 180 ft | Mar 14 (1 in 10 after Apr 2) | Nov 16 (before Nov 2) |
| Franklin 3 Nw | 12 ft | Feb 11 (1 in 10 after Mar 11) | Dec 8 (before Nov 15) |
| Galliano | 5 ft | Feb 8 (1 in 10 after Mar 12) | Dec 19 (before Nov 20) |
| Grand Coteau | 55 ft | Feb 28 (1 in 10 after Mar 25) | Nov 23 (before Nov 5) |
| Hammond 5 E | 35 ft | Mar 8 (1 in 10 after Mar 31) | Nov 19 (before Nov 3) |
| Homer 1N | 215 ft | Mar 30 (1 in 10 after Apr 16) | Nov 6 (before Oct 23) |
| Houma | 8 ft | Feb 5 (1 in 10 after Mar 7) | Dec 17 (before Nov 23) |
| Jeanerette 5 Nw | 20 ft | Feb 15 (1 in 10 after Mar 13) | Dec 3 (before Nov 11) |
| Jena | 143 ft | Mar 19 (1 in 10 after Apr 9) | Nov 12 (before Oct 29) |
| Jennings | 25 ft | Feb 19 (1 in 10 after Mar 13) | Dec 4 (before Nov 12) |
| Jonesville Locks | 70 ft | Mar 6 (1 in 10 after Mar 25) | Nov 22 (before Nov 3) |
| Lake Charles | 13 ft | Feb 14 (1 in 10 after Mar 11) | Dec 7 (before Nov 14) |
| Lake Providence | 100 ft | Mar 5 (1 in 10 after Mar 22) | Nov 24 (before Nov 6) |
| Leesville | 28 ft | Mar 20 (1 in 10 after Apr 12) | Nov 9 (before Oct 26) |
| Leland Bowman Lock | 40 ft | Feb 17 (1 in 10 after Mar 13) | Dec 5 (before Nov 13) |
| Lsu Ben-Hur Farm | 21 ft | Feb 28 (1 in 10 after Mar 21) | Nov 26 (before Nov 6) |
| Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn | 70 ft | Mar 1 (1 in 10 after Mar 22) | Nov 22 (before Nov 2) |
| Mansfield 4 Nw | 322 ft | Mar 8 (1 in 10 after Apr 1) | Nov 20 (before Nov 2) |
| Many | 255 ft | Mar 20 (1 in 10 after Apr 9) | Nov 9 (before Oct 26) |
| Minden | 185 ft | Mar 17 (1 in 10 after Apr 6) | Nov 14 (before Oct 28) |
| Monroe Rgnl Airport | 79 ft | Mar 8 (1 in 10 after Mar 25) | Nov 15 (before Nov 1) |
| Mooringsport 1 N | 200 ft | Mar 6 (1 in 10 after Mar 27) | Nov 19 (before Nov 2) |
| Morgan City | 5 ft | Jan 30 (1 in 10 after Mar 5) | Jan 1 (before Dec 2) |
| Moss Bluff 2 Nnw | 25 ft | Mar 2 (1 in 10 after Mar 26) | Nov 25 (before Nov 3) |
| Natchitoches | 130 ft | Feb 28 (1 in 10 after Mar 17) | Dec 1 (before Nov 10) |
| New Iberia Acadiana Rgnl Airport | 24 ft | Feb 14 (1 in 10 after Mar 11) | Dec 5 (before Nov 14) |
| New Orleans Intl Airport | 4 ft | Jan 30 (1 in 10 after Feb 27) | Dec 31 (before Dec 1) |
| New Roads 5 Ne | 45 ft | Feb 19 (1 in 10 after Mar 14) | Dec 5 (before Nov 15) |
| Oberlin Fire Twr | 65 ft | Mar 1 (1 in 10 after Mar 26) | Nov 24 (before Nov 5) |
| Rayville | 89 ft | Feb 28 (1 in 10 after Mar 19) | Nov 26 (before Nov 7) |
| Red River Rsch Stn | 155 ft | Mar 6 (1 in 10 after Mar 26) | Nov 18 (before Nov 1) |
| Reserve | 15 ft | Feb 9 (1 in 10 after Mar 11) | Dec 14 (before Nov 21) |
| Ruston La Tech | 295 ft | Mar 11 (1 in 10 after Mar 31) | Nov 16 (before Oct 31) |
| Shreveport | 273 ft | Mar 9 (1 in 10 after Mar 29) | Nov 18 (before Nov 2) |
| Slidell Airport | 27 ft | Mar 3 (1 in 10 after Mar 26) | Nov 21 (before Nov 4) |
| St Joseph 3 N | 78 ft | Mar 13 (1 in 10 after Apr 4) | Nov 10 (before Oct 27) |
| Thibodaux 4 Se | 15 ft | Feb 5 (1 in 10 after Mar 7) | Dec 14 (before Nov 19) |
| Winnfield 3 N | 160 ft | Mar 13 (1 in 10 after Apr 5) | Nov 10 (before Oct 27) |
| Winnsboro 5 Sse | 80 ft | Mar 10 (1 in 10 after Mar 31) | Nov 16 (before Nov 1) |
32°F dates from NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for each city's station. "1 in 10 after": a 10% chance of a later spring frost (planting is 90% safe after it). How to read frost dates.