New Orleans, LA 70148 Frost Dates
When can you plant in New Orleans, LA?
Around 01/22 is the usual last spring frost, about 147 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 01/05, about 348 frost-free days later.
New Orleans sits in USDA Zone 9b (25 to 30°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 19 weeks of growing season left in New Orleans before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/22 isn't a guarantee
01/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/23 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/28 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How New Orleans compares
About 348 days separate New Orleans's last and first frost, putting it 2,369 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within LA, it ranks 7 of 710.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and New Orleans's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around New Orleans's dates instead of trusting one.