U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00053865 · Louisiana

Frost Dates for Slidell, LA

NOAA weather station Slidell Airport (USW00053865), Louisiana · elevation 27 ft (8 m) · hardiness zone 9a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter March 26only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 2150% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season263 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone9acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Slidell, LASpring: a frost after February 4 in 9 years out of 10, after March 3 in half of the years, after March 26 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 4 in 1 year out of 10, before November 21 in half of the years, before December 13 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 263 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 3First frost ~Nov 21Frost season at Slidell, LASpring: a frost after February 4 in 9 years out of 10, after March 3 in half of the years, after March 26 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 4 in 1 year out of 10, before November 21 in half of the years, before December 13 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 263 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 3First frost ~Nov 21
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)March 26November 4
50% (typical)March 3November 21
90% (likely)February 4December 13
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
263 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
February 14
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 6

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost February 28 (3 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 18 (3 days earlier). Frost-free season 262 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring at Slidell: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% March 26, 20% March 18, 30% March 13, 40% March 9, 50% March 3, 60% February 27, 70% February 22, 80% February 16, 90% February 4. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 February 21, 2022 March 13, 2023 March 20, 2024 February 19, 2025 February 21, 2026 March 18.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1Mar 26Mar 3Feb 42021: February 212022: March 132023: March 202024: February 192025: February 212026: March 18Fall at Slidell: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 4, 20% November 8, 30% November 13, 40% November 17, 50% November 21, 60% November 25, 70% December 1, 80% December 5, 90% December 13. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 January 3, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 2, 2024 November 30, 2025 November 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Jan 1Nov 4Nov 21Dec 132021: January 32022: October 192023: November 22024: November 302025: November 10
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021February 21January 3
2022March 13October 19
2023March 20November 2
2024February 19November 30
2025February 21November 10
2026March 18season not over yet

What these dates mean

In Slidell, the cautious spring light-frost date is March 26, when there is only a 10 % chance of a frost later, allowing a gardener to set out tender crops with relatively low risk.

The 50 % light-frost dates are March 3 in spring and November 21 in fall; on those days the chance of a frost is even, so a gardener faces roughly equal odds of a frost occurring in either direction of the season. The median hard-frost dates are February 14 and December 6, marking the points where a 28 °F freeze is as likely as not.

For the autumn season, the cautious light-frost date is November 4, with only a 10 % chance that a frost has already arrived, giving a gardener a reasonable window to finish harvesting tender crops. A hard frost of 28 °F is more damaging than a light frost of 32 °F because it can kill plant tissue that survives a milder freeze.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after March 26" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before November 4" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Slidell, LANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Poplarville, MS — 38 mi; 2 — Columbia, MS — 63 mi; 3 — Hattiesburg, MS — 69 mi; 4 — near McComb, MS — 70 mi; 5 — Beaumont Expstation, MS — 82 mi.LA25 mi · 40 km1. Poplarville, MS — 38 mi12. Columbia, MS — 63 mi23. Hattiesburg, MS — 69 mi34. near McComb, MS — 70 mi45. Beaumont Expstation, MS — 82 mi5
  1. Poplarville, MS 38 mi (61 km)
  2. Columbia, MS 63 mi (101 km)
  3. Hattiesburg, MS 69 mi (111 km)
  4. near McComb, MS 70 mi (112 km)
  5. Beaumont Expstation, MS 82 mi (131 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 9a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 30.3433, -89.8222.