U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00169806 · Louisiana

Frost Dates for Winnsboro, LA

NOAA weather station Winnsboro 5 SSE (USC00169806), Louisiana · elevation 80 ft (24 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter March 31only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 1050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 1650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season250 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Winnsboro, LASpring: a frost after February 17 in 9 years out of 10, after March 10 in half of the years, after March 31 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 1 in 1 year out of 10, before November 16 in half of the years, before December 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 250 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 10First frost ~Nov 16Frost season at Winnsboro, LASpring: a frost after February 17 in 9 years out of 10, after March 10 in half of the years, after March 31 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 1 in 1 year out of 10, before November 16 in half of the years, before December 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 250 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 10First frost ~Nov 16
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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)March 31November 1
50% (typical)March 10November 16
90% (likely)February 17December 5
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
250 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
February 26
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 5 (5 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 14 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 255 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 Winnsboro: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% March 31, 20% March 24, 30% March 18, 40% March 14, 50% March 10, 60% March 5, 70% March 1, 80% February 25, 90% February 17. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 March 3, 2022 March 13, 2023 March 21, 2024 February 20.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Mar 31Mar 10Feb 172021: March 32022: March 132023: March 212024: February 20Fall at Winnsboro: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 1, 20% November 5, 30% November 8, 40% November 13, 50% November 16, 60% November 20, 70% November 24, 80% November 29, 90% December 5. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 14, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 1.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Nov 1Nov 16Dec 52021: November 142022: October 192023: November 1
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
2021March 3November 14
2022March 13October 19
2023March 21November 1
2024February 20incomplete record
2025incomplete recordincomplete record
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date in Winnsboro for finishing the harvest is November 1, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived. Planting tender crops after that date keeps the risk of an early frost low, while waiting until the 90 % date of December 5 would be a gamble.

In spring the cautious date for setting out tender crops is March 31, which carries a 10 % chance of a frost later than that day; the gamble date is February 17 with a 90 % chance. The 50 % date of March 10 marks the point where a light frost is as likely as not, and the 50 % date of November 16 does the same for fall. The hard-frost 50 % dates are February 26 in spring and December 1 in fall.

A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, so the hard-frost dates are important for assessing the most severe risk.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after March 31" 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 1" 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 Winnsboro, LANumbered nearest stations: 1 — St. Joseph, LA — 29 mi; 2 — Monroe, LA — 35 mi; 3 — Jena, LA — 38 mi; 4 — Natchez, MS — 41 mi; 5 — near Jonesville, LA — 44 mi.LAMS25 mi · 40 km1. St. Joseph, LA — 29 mi12. Monroe, LA — 35 mi23. Jena, LA — 38 mi34. Natchez, MS — 41 mi45. near Jonesville, LA — 44 mi5
  1. St. Joseph, LA 29 mi (47 km)
  2. Monroe, LA 35 mi (56 km)
  3. Jena, LA 38 mi (62 km)
  4. Natchez, MS 41 mi (66 km)
  5. near Jonesville, LA 44 mi (70 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 8b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 32.0997, -91.7022.