Lafayette, Louisiana Weather

Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →

Lafayette weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar

Lafayette, LA
Monday, September 21 at 12:50 AM
78
°
Clear
Feels like
88°
Humidity
91%
Wind
2 mph
Sunrise
6:56 AM
Sunset
7:05 PM

Conditions updated 12:50 AM CDT · Open-Meteo

Lafayette, LA
Hour by hour · 24h
24-Hour ForecastLafayette, LA: 24-hour forecast. Temperatures range from 75 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit with a 40% chance of precipitation at 6 PM.
L 75°H 95°
Lafayette, LA
7-day forecast
  1. Today
    Sep 21
    Heavy Rain later
    40%
    1.0″
    95°75°
  2. Tuesday
    Sep 22
    Overcast
    12%
    94°73°-1°
  3. Wednesday
    Sep 23
    Drizzle
    12%
    96°74°+2°
  4. Thursday
    Sep 24
    Overcast
    97°74°+1°
  5. Friday
    Sep 25
    Overcast
    97°75°
  6. Saturday
    Sep 26
    Overcast
    96°72°-1°
  7. Sunday
    Sep 27
    Overcast
    11%
    95°72°-1°
Lafayette, LA
Anemometer · 24h winds · from true
NESW
From · True
WNW
302° · veering 149°
Direction
WNW
302°
Sustained
2
mph
Gust
5
mph
Peak 24h
14
avg 3 mph
Beaufort · 1 · LIGHT AIR
0
CALM
<1
1
LIGHT AIR
1–3
2
LIGHT BRZ
4–7
3
GENTLE BRZ
8–12
4
MOD BRZ
13–18
5
FRESH BRZ
19–24
6
STRONG BRZ
25–31
7
NEAR GALE
32–38
24h · sust vs gust · mph
avg 3 mph · pk 14 mph @ 9:00p
0102030MPHB1B2B3B4B5B6-21h-18h-15h-12h-9h-6h-3h-24hNOWpk 263SUSTGUST
−24h−18h−12h−6hnow
A whisper of wind — leaves barely shift on the trees.
Lafayette, LA
Barometer · 24h pressure · mb
STORMRAINCHANGEFAIRDRY9901000101010201030
Pressure · mb
1013.8
+0.8 mb in 3h · rising · 29.94 inHg
Now
1013.8
mb
3h
+0.8
mb
12h
-1.4
mb
24h
-0.5
mb
Regime · CHANGE
STORM
RAIN
CHANGE
FAIR
DRY
24h · Pressure · mb
range 10111016
9951000STORM|RAIN10051010RAIN|CHG1015CHG|FAIR10201025FAIR|DRY1030-21h-18h-15h-12h-9h-6h-3h-24hNOW1015.51011.21013.6
Air sits at the threshold — small shifts decide the day.
Air quality now AQI 37 · Good
Lafayette, LA
Air quality
37
AQI
Good
0 in 6h

AQI 37 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 6.8 µg/m³ (AQI 38) with a 0.76 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.

OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.

PM 2.5DRIVERGood
6.8μg/m³
PM 10Good
9μg/m³
NO₂Good
5μg/m³
OzoneGood
52μg/m³
UV IndexLow
0.0

What's driving it

PM × Wind × Precip

PM2.5 at 6.8 µg/m³ (AQI 38) with a 0.76 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.

PM2.5/PM10
0.76
Wind
calm
Recent rain
0h in last 6h
Pattern
stagnant smoke
Lafayette, LA
Sky cover · visibility · 24h
Cloud cover
4%
CLEAR
100%0%−24h−18h−12h−6hnow

Visibility
8.4mi
GOOD
28 mi0 mi−24h−18h−12h−6hnow
Lafayette, LA
Almanac · Monday, September 21
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
Civil dawn
6:32 AM
Sunrise
6:56 AM
Daylight
12h 09m
Sunset
7:05 PM
Civil dusk
7:33 PM
Planting note
September — plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots; harvest beans, summer squash, winter squash
Lafayette, LA
The moon
Waxing Gibbous
72% illuminated
Moonrise
4:16 PM
Moonset
1:58 AM
In sign
♑︎ Capricorn
Lafayette, LA
Microseason
Sep 21–25

Thunder quiets the land

weather
Jan 172% of the yearDec 31

Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →

Lafayette at a glance

  • Today vs. normal: Today averages 85°F (high 95°F, low 75°F), 8°F above the 77°F normal for Sep 21
  • Last frost: February 26 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 3 km away)
  • Microseason: Sep 21–25
  • Planting calendar: September — plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots; harvest beans, summer squash, winter squash

15-Day Forecast — Lafayette

  1. Mon95°75°40%
  2. Tue94°73°12%
  3. Wed96°74°12%
  4. Thu97°74°2%
  5. Fri97°75°1%
  6. Sat96°72°4%
  7. Sun95°72°11%
  8. Mon94°71°21%
  9. Tue92°72°33%
  10. Wed89°68°26%
  11. Thu93°67°19%
  12. Fri94°69°35%
  13. Sat92°70°28%
  14. Sun90°70°17%
  15. Mon94°68°26%

Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).

Live wind & temperature near Lafayette

Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Lafayette — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.

Right now in the garden

Late season

As of September 21, the first frost (around November 28) is about 10 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for September: plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, and carrots; harvest beans, summer squash, and winter squash.

SPC Convective Outlook

Storm Prediction Center — Lafayette

SPC includes Lafayette in the general thunderstorm area tomorrow — no severe risk, but storms are possible.

  • TODAYNONENo severe risk
  • TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
  • DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.

Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.

Sun & seasons in Lafayette

Lafayette sits in Lafayette County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 6m of daylight and its shortest just 10h 12m — a swing of +3h 54m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

New Orleans, the state’s largest city, lies about 126 miles to the E. The nearest town Lafayette tracks is Baton Rouge, roughly 56 miles to the ENE.

Air quality in Lafayette

Air quality in Lafayette’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2021 (median AQI 42). See the full air-quality history for Lafayette.

Planting calendar

MonthPlantHarvest
Februarylettuce, peas, spinach, radishes
Marchlettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squashlettuce, spinach, radishes
Apriltomatoes, peppers, beans, squashlettuce, peas, spinach, radishes
Maysquashlettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic
Junesquashtomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, garlic
Julybeans, squashtomatoes, peppers, summer squash, winter squash
Augusttomatoes, peppers, beans, squashsummer squash, winter squash
Septemberbeans, squash, fall brassicas, carrotsbeans, summer squash, winter squash
Octobergarlic (overwinter)tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
Novembergarlic (overwinter)tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots
Decemberfall brassicas, carrots

A year in weather

Lafayette peaks at about 83°F in July and bottoms near 52°F in January; December brings the heaviest rain (5.4 inches) and October the least (2.3 inches).

MonthMean tempPrecip
January52°4.5
February55°4.1
March61°4.2
April68°4.5
May75°3.4
June81°3.6
July83°4.8
August82°5.3
September79°3.3
October72°2.3
November61°4.3
December54°5.4

Regional context

Similar climates Scott, LA, Broussard, LA, Ossun, LA

By modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo), Lafayette sees 52°F Januarys and 83°F Julys, a 31°F range, plus around 49.7 inches of precipitation.

No season owns Lafayette's rain: December reaches 5.4 inches and October keeps 2.3 inches, an even spread through Lafayette's year. It is a balanced pattern Lafayette shares with places like Scott, LA, Broussard, LA and Ossun, LA.

The cool-season window in Lafayette starts at February 26, when nights stop freezing — think lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens. Warm-soil crops in Lafayette wait about two weeks past Lafayette's last frost, once the soil warms. Around November 28, freezing nights resume in Lafayette and tender crops must come in. Sheltered Lafayette yards can escape a light frost.

Similar climates: Scott, LA, Broussard, LA, Ossun, LA, Milton, LA, Carencro, LA.

Frequently asked

When does it freeze in Lafayette?
Lafayette's last spring frost lands near February 26, and in Lafayette the first fall frost follows around November 28.
What is the rainy season in Lafayette?
Rainfall in Lafayette peaks in December near 5.4 inches, out of about 50 inches annually.
What is the warmest month in Lafayette?
July is Lafayette's warmest month, averaging about 83°F.
What is the coldest month in Lafayette?
Lafayette bottoms out in January, with a mean near 52°F.
When can I start a vegetable garden in Lafayette?
Frost-hardy sowings begin at February 26 in Lafayette; warm-season starts follow two weeks on.
What hardiness zone is Lafayette?
Lafayette's USDA zone comes from its January mean (52°F); enter the ZIP on the USDA lookup for the number.
What is the 10-day forecast for Lafayette?
Lafayette's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
Will it rain this week in Lafayette?
See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Lafayette in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
What is the weather like right now in Lafayette?
Current conditions for Lafayette and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
How often is the Lafayette forecast updated?
The Lafayette forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
When are sunrise and sunset in Lafayette?
Today's sunrise and sunset times for Lafayette are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
How accurate is the weather forecast for Lafayette?
The next few days in Lafayette's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.

Lafayette sits at 30.2°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).

ZIP codes in Lafayette

  • 70501
  • 70502
  • 70503
  • 70504
  • 70505
  • 70506
  • 70507
  • 70508
  • 70509
  • 70593
  • 70596
  • 70598

Climate normals: modelled 1991–2020 normals from the EC_Earth3P_HR climate model via the Open-Meteo Climate API, not station observations. Köppen approximation from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Regions. See methodology for data sources, editorial rules, and corrections. Maintainer: Brian Tighe.