Louisiana’s First Frost Dates For Selected Cities Revealed

(KMDL-FM) Despite the threat of severe weather this weekend, people in Louisiana are genuinely excited about the transition from our hot and humid summers to our not-as-hot, nor as humid, fall season. We are also anticipating the first opportunity to bring out our Magnalite pots and fire up the season's first gumbo. That usually coincides with about the same date as Louisiana's first frost. But when will that be?

In climatic terms, Louisiana spans more than a few. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zones encompassed in Louisiana range from Zone 8b in the extreme northern parishes to Zone 10a, which is a tiny spit of land that juts out into the Gulf at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

What Plant Hardiness Zones Are in Louisiana?

The bulk of the state sits in Zones 9a and 9b, with 9b being the more southerly of the two zones. If you think of Alexandria as 9a and Lafayette as 9b, you'll have a pretty good idea of where those zones fall. 

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The temperature breakdowns for the Plant Hardiness Zones break down this way: in the northern zones, you can expect minimum temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees Farenheight at some point over the course of the winter. For the middle zones, that's 20 to 20 degrees Farenheight. The southern zones will have winter minimums between 30 and 35 degrees Farenheight.

When Will Shreveport, Monroe, Ruston, and Bossier City See The First Frost?

If you can trust the weather advice presented by the Old Farmer's Almanac, then you should expect your first frost in cities such as Shreveport, Monroe, Bossier City, and Tallulah to be on or about November 16th. That's about three weeks away.

If you drop a little further south in the state to Leesville, Alexandria, Pineville, Jonesville, and Ferriday, you'll see that the threat of the first frost is pushed back, just a bit. Okay, only a couple of days, actually. Forecasters with the Old Farmer's Almanac suggest the first frosts in CENLA will happen on or about November 18.

When Is the First Frost for Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans?

Oddly enough, there is some variance in first frost dates for the cities along the I-10 corridor. Lake Charles doesn't anticipate its first frost until November 28th. Meanwhile, Lafayette has a first frost forecast of November 26th. And just 50 miles to the east in Baton Rouge, they're looking at a first frost of November 17th.  

And if you go even further down I-10, you'll find New Orleans' first frost isn't forecast until December 19th. The Old Farmer's Almanac has a complete list of several dozen cities in Louisiana. If you'd like to see the first frost date for your city, you can find that here.