Laurel, MS 39443 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Laurel, MS?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/12, roughly 196 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/12, about 244 frost-free days later.
Laurel sits in USDA Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 11 weeks of growing season left in Laurel before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 03/12 isn't a guarantee
03/12 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/22 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/01 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Laurel compares
About 244 days separate Laurel's last and first frost, putting it 8,214 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MS, it ranks 206 of 523.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Laurel's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Laurel's dates instead of trusting one.