New Orleans, LA 70179 Frost Dates
When can you plant in New Orleans, LA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/10, about 166 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/17, about 309 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts New Orleans in Zone 9b (25 to 30°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's 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
About 309 days separate New Orleans's last and first frost, putting it 3,622 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within LA, it ranks 116 of 710.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in New Orleans can differ from the 70179 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and New Orleans's frost date answer different questions.