NOAA station USC00164739 · Louisiana

Frost Dates near Jonesville, LA

NOAA weather station Jonesville Locks (USC00164739), Louisiana · elevation 70 ft (21 m) · hardiness zone 9a*

Jonesville is the nearest town to the station (10.3 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter March 25only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 2250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season261 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone9acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Jonesville, LASpring: a frost after February 9 in 9 years out of 10, after March 6 in half of the years, after March 25 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 3 in 1 year out of 10, before November 22 in half of the years, before December 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 261 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 6First frost ~Nov 22Frost season near Jonesville, LASpring: a frost after February 9 in 9 years out of 10, after March 6 in half of the years, after March 25 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 3 in 1 year out of 10, before November 22 in half of the years, before December 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 261 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 6First frost ~Nov 22
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.Today

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 25November 3
50% (typical)March 6November 22
90% (likely)February 9December 11
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
261 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
February 22
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 5

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 2 (4 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 20 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 264 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 near Jonesville: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% March 25, 20% March 19, 30% March 15, 40% March 10, 50% March 6, 60% March 2, 70% February 28, 80% February 22, 90% February 9. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2022 March 14, 2025 February 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1Mar 25Mar 6Feb 92022: March 142025: February 22Fall near Jonesville: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 3, 20% November 8, 30% November 13, 40% November 17, 50% November 22, 60% November 26, 70% December 1, 80% December 4, 90% December 11. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 25, 2022 October 19.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Nov 3Nov 22Dec 112021: November 252022: October 19
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
2021incomplete recordNovember 25
2022March 14October 19
2023incomplete recordincomplete record
2024incomplete recordincomplete record
2025February 22incomplete record
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on February 9 in the Jonesville area is a gamble, because a 90 % chance of a light frost later that spring still exists. A more cautious plan waits until March 25, when the chance of a later light frost drops to 10 %.

In fall the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is November 3, with only a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived. Waiting until December 11 would be a gamble, as a 90 % chance of a light frost earlier in the season is indicated. The median light-frost dates are March 6 in spring and November 22 in fall; each marks the point at which a light frost is equally likely to occur before or after. The median hard-frost dates are February 22 and December 5, and a hard frost (28 °F) can cause greater damage to plants than a light frost (32 °F).

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after March 25" 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 3" 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 Jonesville, LANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Jena, LA — 21 mi; 2 — Natchez, MS — 32 mi; 3 — Alexandria, LA — 37 mi; 4 — Bunkie, LA — 41 mi; 5 — Winnsboro, LA — 44 mi.LAMS25 mi · 40 km1. Jena, LA — 21 mi12. Natchez, MS — 32 mi23. Alexandria, LA — 37 mi34. Bunkie, LA — 41 mi45. Winnsboro, LA — 44 mi5
  1. Jena, LA 21 mi (33 km)
  2. Natchez, MS 32 mi (51 km)
  3. Alexandria, LA 37 mi (60 km)
  4. Bunkie, LA 41 mi (65 km)
  5. Winnsboro, LA 44 mi (70 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: 31.4825, -91.8628.