Natchitoches, Louisiana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Natchitoches's normal year runs from 39°F January nights to 95°F July afternoons, with 55.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 20.2°C, January lows of 4°C, July highs of 35°C, 1,421 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNatchitoches
- Station IDUSC00166582
- Location31.77°N 93.10°W
- Elevation130 ft (40 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population17,165
On October 23, the normal high in Natchitoches is 79°F and the normal low 54°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 23%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Natchitoches.
- Jan 60° 39°
- Feb 65° 42°
- Mar 72° 49°
- Apr 79° 56°
- May 87° 65°
- Jun 92° 73°
- Jul 95° 76°
- Aug 96° 75°
- Sep 90° 69°
- Oct 81° 57°
- Nov 70° 47°
- Dec 62° 41°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Natchitoches each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 95°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 39°F. The most precipitation falls in March (5.76 in), the least in August (3.27 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60°F | 39°F | 49.5°F | 5.08 | 10 | <1 | 10 | 10 h 20 min |
| February | 65°F | 42°F | 53.4°F | 4.48 | 9 | <1 | 6 | 11 h |
| March | 72°F | 49°F | 60.6°F | 5.76 | 9 | <1 | 2 | 12 h |
| April | 79°F | 56°F | 67.6°F | 5.66 | 7 | 1 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 87°F | 65°F | 75.8°F | 4.16 | 8 | 9 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| June | 92°F | 73°F | 82.6°F | 5.22 | 9 | 20 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| July | 95°F | 76°F | 85.5°F | 3.51 | 9 | 26 | <1 | 14 h |
| August | 96°F | 75°F | 85.3°F | 3.27 | 7 | 25 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 90°F | 69°F | 79.5°F | 3.90 | 7 | 14 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 81°F | 57°F | 69.0°F | 4.52 | 7 | 3 | <1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 70°F | 47°F | 58.8°F | 4.76 | 7 | <1 | 3 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 62°F | 41°F | 51.7°F | 5.61 | 10 | <1 | 9 | 10 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 79°F | 57°F | 68.3°F | 55.93 | 99 | 98 | 29 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 4°C | 9.7°C | 129 mm |
| February | 18°C | 5°C | 11.9°C | 114 mm |
| March | 22°C | 9°C | 15.9°C | 146 mm |
| April | 26°C | 13°C | 19.8°C | 144 mm |
| May | 30°C | 18°C | 24.3°C | 106 mm |
| June | 34°C | 23°C | 28.1°C | 133 mm |
| July | 35°C | 24°C | 29.7°C | 89 mm |
| August | 35°C | 24°C | 29.6°C | 83 mm |
| September | 32°C | 20°C | 26.4°C | 99 mm |
| October | 27°C | 14°C | 20.6°C | 115 mm |
| November | 21°C | 8°C | 14.9°C | 121 mm |
| December | 17°C | 5°C | 10.9°C | 142 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00166582; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Natchitoches?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, October and November. Of those, April has the fewest days with rain (7).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00166582.
When is the last frost in Natchitoches?
In Natchitoches, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after February 28 in half of years and after March 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 1 in half of years and before November 10 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- February 281 year in 10 after March 17; 9 in 10 after January 31
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 11 year in 10 before November 10; 9 in 10 before December 26
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 275 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 310 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 8 in half of springs and before December 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Natchitoches in zone 9a in ZIP code 71497. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Natchitoches's NOAA station is in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 22°F (19 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Louisiana · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00166582; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Natchitoches?
In a normal year in Natchitoches, 98 days a year reach 90°F (10 of them 100°F or more), 29 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 99 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 98a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 29a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 99a normal year
The highest temperature in Natchitoches's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 110°F, on September 2, 2000; the lowest is 3°F, on January 18, 1930.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1968, with 81.72 in; the snowiest season is 1948–49, with 11.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00166582; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record ICHL1thr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Natchitoches?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Natchitoches, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (82%) and February the cloudiest (65%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 2.8 |
| February | 65% | 3.1 |
| March | 71% | 4.3 |
| April | 75% | 5.4 |
| May | 78% | 6.0 |
| June | 79% | 6.2 |
| July | 81% | 6.1 |
| August | 82% | 5.8 |
| September | 81% | 5.0 |
| October | 80% | 4.2 |
| November | 77% | 3.2 |
| December | 69% | 2.5 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Natchitoches need?
A normal year in Natchitoches brings 1,782 heating degree days, 67% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 3,011 cooling degree days, 3.3 times the median (908). Three months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 7,024 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 488 | 7 |
| February | 338 | 13 |
| March | 190 | 53 |
| April | 61 | 141 |
| May | 5 | 340 |
| June | 0 | 529 |
| July | 0 | 637 |
| August | 0 | 629 |
| September | 2 | 437 |
| October | 52 | 177 |
| November | 223 | 38 |
| December | 424 | 12 |
| Year (annual) | 1,782 | 3,011 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00166582. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Natchitoches's climate compare?
Natchitoches is warmer than 44 of the other 64 places with their own NOAA record in Louisiana, and wetter than 9. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 68.3°F is warmer than 93%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Natchitoches is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Natchitoches share this climate record?
9 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Vienna Bend, LA1,693 people · 4 mi SE
- Campti, LA873 people · 9 mi N
- Montgomery, LA626 people · 14 mi SE
- Point Place, LA589 people · 7 mi SE
- Provencal, LA509 people · 10 mi SW
- Natchez, LA483 people · 7 mi SE
- Clarence, LA316 people · 5 mi NE
- St. Maurice, LA274 people · 9 mi E
- Powhatan, LA101 people · 9 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Natchitoches's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Natchitoches. This page uses Natchitoches; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natchitoches #2 USC00166584 | 6 mi N | 141 ft | 66.5°F | 38°F | 93°F | 55.2 | 0 | March 5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Natchitoches's climate
What is the coldest month in Natchitoches?
January, with a normal high of 60°F and a normal low of 39°F. The warmest is July (95°F by day, 76°F at night).
Does it snow in Natchitoches?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is no measurable snow a year.
What is the rainiest month in Natchitoches?
March, with 5.76 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 3.27 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Natchitoches in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Natchitoches in zone 9a in ZIP code 71497. By the same method at Natchitoches's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 22°F (19 years, 1991-2020): zone 9a.
How late can frost come in Natchitoches?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after February 28; in one year in ten it comes after March 17. Waiting until March 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Louisiana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Ashland, LA25 miles from this station, 64.4°F a year
- Many, LA27 miles from this station, 64.6°F a year
- Peason Ridge Range, LA28 miles from this station, 66.5°F a year
- Winnfield, LA29 miles from this station, 65.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made