Natchitoches, LA 71457 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Natchitoches, LA, ZIP 71457
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/28, about 184 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/01, about 275 frost-free days later.
Natchitoches sits in USDA Zone 9a (20 to 25°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
Zone 9a around Natchitoches has about 14 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 02/28 isn't a guarantee
02/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Natchitoches compares
About 275 days separate Natchitoches's last and first frost, putting it 5,120 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within LA, it ranks 299 of 710.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 9a and Natchitoches's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Natchitoches's dates instead of trusting one.