NOAA station USC00161232 · Louisiana
Frost Dates for Boyce, LA
NOAA weather station Boyce 3 WNW (USC00161232), Louisiana · elevation 110 ft (34 m) · hardiness zone 9a*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter March 19only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostMarch 250% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostNovember 2750% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season271 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone9acalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | March 19 | November 7 |
| 50% (typical) | March 2 | November 27 |
| 90% (likely) | February 1 | December 17 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 271 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- February 11
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- December 14
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost March 2 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 26 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 270 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
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | February 21 | incomplete record |
| 2022 | March 13 | November 13 |
| 2023 | March 21 | November 2 |
| 2024 | February 20 | November 30 |
| 2025 | February 23 | December 2 |
| 2026 | March 17 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
November 7, the cautious fall date, marks the end of the season for finishing the harvest in Boyce. This date carries a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived, so tender crops should be harvested by then. In spring, the cautious date for setting out tender crops is March 19, when only a 10% chance of a later light frost remains. The 50% light-frost dates are March 2 in spring and November 27 in fall; at each of these dates there is an even chance of a frost occurring later (spring) or earlier (fall).
The median hard-frost dates are February 11 for spring and December 14 for fall. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage tender plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F, so gardeners should regard these dates as additional risk markers.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after March 19" 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 7" 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
- Alexandria, LA 16 mi (26 km)
- Leesville, LA 35 mi (57 km)
- Jena, LA 40 mi (64 km)
- Bunkie, LA 44 mi (70 km)
- near Jonesville, LA 51 mi (82 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00161232
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USC00161232
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* 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: 31.3944, -92.7164.