USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 70118 — New Orleans, Louisiana
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from New Orleans Audubon, LA (20 ft), 3 miles south.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches New Orleans in 76% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 2 and the last freeze of winter around January 24; after February 23 the chance of another is under 8%.
- Last freeze
- January 24
- First freeze
- January 2
- Winters with a freeze
- 76%
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50%, in freezing years
50%, in freezing years
32°F or below, 1991–2020
25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 0%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
0 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in New Orleans
In the 76% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at New Orleans Audubon, LA see their last 32°F night by January 24; only one in ten is past it by December 28, and one in ten still has one after February 23. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 23 is under 8% and after January 24 38%. The 30 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 91% of the 88 Louisiana stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by January 2 in half of years, as early as December 5 one year in ten, and holds off past February 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 36% of winters. On average 4 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 13 days longer, to about February 6, and return around December 16. A 24°F night is unusual: 10% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F98% of yrs | Jan 11 | Jan 22 | Jan 28 | Feb 2 | Feb 6 | Feb 14 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 7 |
| 32°F76% of yrs | Dec 28 | Jan 6 | Jan 14 | Jan 19 | Jan 24 | Jan 28 | Feb 2 | Feb 9 | Feb 23 |
| 28°F36% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F98% of yrs | Nov 19 | Nov 29 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 16 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 5 | Jan 15 |
| 32°F76% of yrs | Dec 5 | Dec 14 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 2 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 18 | Feb 1 |
| 28°F36% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at New Orleans Audubon, LA, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 70118 →Compare New Orleans with another place →
Weather by month in New Orleans
August is the warmest month at New Orleans Audubon, LA, averaging 94°F by day and 77°F at night; January is the coldest at 64°F and 47°F. From March to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 23% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 8,076 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), the most of the 88 Louisiana stations. 43% of them (3,511) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,099. Precipitation totals 64.7 inches a year, most in July (8.8") and least in October (3.6"); May to September bring 53% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 47 | 5.0 | 55% | 2 | 216 |
| Feb | 68 | 51 | 4.1 | 23% | 1 | 280 |
| Mar | 75 | 56 | 4.6 | 4% | <1 | 473 |
| Apr | 81 | 62 | 5.0 | 0% | 0 | 644 |
| May | 88 | 69 | 5.4 | 0% | 0 | 887 |
| Jun | 93 | 75 | 7.4 | 0% | 0 | 1011 |
| Jul | 94 | 77 | 8.8 | 0% | 0 | 1093 |
| Aug | 94 | 77 | 6.8 | 0% | 0 | 1099 |
| Sep | 90 | 74 | 5.7 | 0% | 0 | 955 |
| Oct | 83 | 65 | 3.6 | 0% | 0 | 733 |
| Nov | 73 | 55 | 3.8 | 4% | <1 | 418 |
| Dec | 66 | 49 | 4.5 | 29% | 1 | 267 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at New Orleans Audubon, LA (20 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Terrytown 3S, LA, 6 miles southeast of New Orleans, has a last frost 8 days later (February 1), a first frost 2 days earlier (December 31), a season 11 days shorter.
When it snows in New Orleans, Louisiana
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at New Orleans Audubon, LA, 2.5 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 70118 is 3 miles from New Orleans Audubon, LA, which stands at 20 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 8 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 70072 (Marrero). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 70118 in zone 9b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across Louisiana →
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.