Ruston, LA 71272 Frost Dates
Ruston, LA: when does the frost end?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/11, about 195 days from today. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 11/16, roughly 248 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ruston in Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 11 weeks until Ruston's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
Why 03/11 isn't a guarantee
03/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 02/18 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 03/31 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Ruston against the rest of the dataset
At roughly 248 frost-free days, Ruston places 7,679 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within LA, it ranks 603 of 710.
Learn more
Before leaning on 71272's figures: zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 8b and Ruston's frost date answer different questions, while the frost range explains how to read the range around Ruston's dates instead of trusting one.