Central, LA 70896 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Central, LA?
Around 02/25 is the usual last spring frost, about 181 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/26, about 276 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Central in Zone 9a (20 to 25°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 13 weeks of growing season left in Central before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 02/25 isn't a guarantee
02/25 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/29 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/19 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Central compares
At roughly 276 frost-free days, Central places 5,068 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within LA, it ranks 281 of 710.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Central's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Central can differ from the 70896 normal.