Frost dates in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.

Short answer

The average last spring frost in Baton Rouge is February 25, and the average first fall frost is November 26, from NOAA's Baton Rouge Ryan Airport station, 7 miles from the middle of Baton Rouge. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after March 19, and the first one by November 7. That leaves about 274 frost-free days. Baton Rouge is in USDA planting zone 9a.

Weather stations around Baton Rouge

The first row is the date most people in Baton Rouge go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Baton Rouge Ryan Airport 7 mi away, 64 ft	February 25 1 in 10 after March 19	November 26 1 in 10 by November 7	274 days
Lsu Ben-Hur Farm 6 mi away, 21 ft	February 28 1 in 10 after March 21	November 26 1 in 10 by November 6	271 days
Brusly 2 W 9 mi away, 20 ft	February 28 1 in 10 after March 21	November 24 1 in 10 by November 6	269 days
Carville 2 SW 17 mi away, 25 ft	February 9 1 in 10 after March 10	December 13 1 in 10 by November 16	307 days
New Roads 5 NE 24 mi away, 45 ft	February 19 1 in 10 after March 14	December 5 1 in 10 by November 15	289 days

Distances are from the middle of Baton Rouge as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 70806, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Baton Rouge covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.

How these dates work

Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.

The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.

More frost dates

All of Louisiana, station by station.

Other Louisiana cities: New Orleans · Shreveport

Nearby: Mobile, AL · Pasadena, TX