USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 70122 — New Orleans, Louisiana
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from New Orleans Lakefront Airport, LA (9 ft), 4 miles northeast.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches New Orleans in 71% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 5 and the last freeze of winter around January 22; after February 23 the chance of another is under 7%.
- Last freeze
- January 22
- First freeze
- January 5
- Winters with a freeze
- 71%
- 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
- 6%
- Snow per year
- 0.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
1 of 18 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in New Orleans
In the 71% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, LA see their last 32°F night by January 22; 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 7% and after January 22 36%. The 32 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 97% 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 5 in half of years, as early as December 13 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 34% of winters. On average 2 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 4, and return around December 26. A 24°F night is unusual: 9% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F95% of yrs | Jan 5 | Jan 17 | Jan 24 | Jan 30 | Feb 4 | Feb 10 | Feb 17 | Feb 27 | Mar 7 |
| 32°F71% of yrs | Dec 28 | Jan 5 | Jan 12 | Jan 17 | Jan 22 | Jan 27 | Feb 1 | Feb 9 | Feb 23 |
| 28°F34% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F9% 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°F95% of yrs | Nov 30 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 21 | Dec 26 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Jan 19 |
| 32°F71% of yrs | Dec 13 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 9 | Jan 15 | Jan 20 | Feb 1 |
| 28°F34% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F9% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, 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 70122 →Compare New Orleans with another place →
Weather by month in New Orleans
August is the warmest month at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, LA, averaging 91°F by day and 79°F at night; January is the coldest at 61°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 19% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 7,759 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 99% of the 88 Louisiana stations. 43% of them (3,334) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,076. Precipitation totals 60.0 inches a year, most in August (6.5") and least in October (3.6"); May to September bring 47% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | 47 | 5.3 | 50% | 2 | 182 |
| Feb | 65 | 51 | 4.1 | 19% | <1 | 248 |
| Mar | 71 | 57 | 4.6 | 5% | 0 | 442 |
| Apr | 78 | 63 | 5.9 | 0% | 0 | 617 |
| May | 85 | 71 | 4.9 | 0% | 0 | 860 |
| Jun | 89 | 76 | 6.0 | 0% | 0 | 985 |
| Jul | 91 | 78 | 6.3 | 0% | 0 | 1066 |
| Aug | 91 | 79 | 6.5 | 0% | 0 | 1076 |
| Sep | 87 | 76 | 4.6 | 0% | 0 | 942 |
| Oct | 79 | 67 | 3.6 | 0% | 0 | 710 |
| Nov | 70 | 56 | 3.6 | 1% | 0 | 397 |
| Dec | 63 | 50 | 4.6 | 25% | <1 | 233 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, LA (9 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, Chalmette, LA, 6 miles southeast of New Orleans, has a last frost 19 days later (February 10), a first frost 19 days earlier (December 17), a season 39 days shorter.
When it snows in New Orleans, Louisiana
Measurable snow is rare here: only 1 of 18 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, LA, 3.6 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 70122 is 4 miles from New Orleans Lakefront Airport, LA, which stands at 9 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 5 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 70122 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.