When will Louisiana see its first freeze of the season?

LOUISIANA (NEXSTAR) — With cold fronts hitting southern states and some fall temperatures already here, it’s time to look for that first freeze of the season in Louisiana.

A freeze is defined as having a low temperature of 32º or colder. Technically, a hard freeze is when temperatures drop to 28º or below. You can get frost with air temperatures several degrees above freezing.

For the purposes of this, we’ll just look at the average first day with low temperatures of 32º or colder coming after the conclusion of the summer months. The average is over a 30-year period from 1991-2020.

Statewide

As you might expect, the earliest freezes in Louisiana happen in the northern parts of the state, but a couple of areas are tied for the first freeze. Leesville, northeastern Plain Dealing, and northwestern Tallulah, have the earliest average first freeze of this list with a November dip to 32º or below.

The latest freezes happen in cities closer to the Gulf of Mexico, especially those farther south. New Orleans has the latest first freeze, usually having to wait until mid-December to reach the freezing mark.

Leesville – Nov. 10

Plain Dealing – Nov. 10

Tallulah – Nov. 10

Alexandria – Nov. 15

Monroe – Nov. 16

Winfield -- Nov. 16

Clinton – Nov. 18

Covington – Nov. 18

Shreveport – Nov. 18

Natchitoches – Nov. 19

Slidell – Nov. 20

Lake Providence – Nov. 23

Baton Rouge – Nov. 25

Lafayette – Nov. 27

Lake Charles – Dec. 2

Houma – Dec. 10

New Orleans – Dec. 21

With temperatures hovering around 80 degrees the next few days, we likely won't see a freeze in Alexandria for some time.