New Orleans, LA 70166 Frost Dates
When can you plant in New Orleans, LA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 02/10, roughly 166 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/17, about 309 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 16 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
02/10 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/08 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How New Orleans compares
New Orleans's growing season runs about 309 days, ranking 3,613 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within LA, it ranks 107 of 710.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in New Orleans can differ from the 70166 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and New Orleans's frost date answer different questions.