New Orleans, Louisiana Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
New Orleans weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 4:23 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear17%—91°78°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast——92°77°+1°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Drizzle——90°78°-2°
- ThursdaySep 24Light Drizzle——90°79°0°
- FridaySep 25Light Drizzle——87°76°-3°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——88°75°+1°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——88°74°0°
Air quality now AQI 50 · Good
AQI 50 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 8.4 µg/m³, PM10 at 9.9 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 32 now. With UV 3.3 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 10.
- Present
- AQI 32
- UV peak
- 3.3 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- partly cloudy
- Projected peak
- AQI 10
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.4 µg/m³, PM10 at 9.9 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.85
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:07 PM
- Moonset
- 1:50 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
New Orleans at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 85°F (high 91°F, low 78°F), 7°F above the 78°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: January 22 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 10 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash; harvest beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — New Orleans
- Mon91°78°17%
- Tue92°77°7%
- Wed90°78°3%
- Thu90°79°7%
- Fri87°76°7%
- Sat88°75°2%
- Sun88°74°4%
- Mon85°75°11%
- Tue89°74°33%
- Wed84°74°28%
- Thu84°72°19%
- Fri86°74°41%
- Sat86°76°31%
- Sun87°77°32%
- Mon86°76°29%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near New Orleans
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on New Orleans — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of September 21, the growing season is at its peak — the first frost (around January 5) is weeks away. Fall transplants go in about 10–12 weeks before the first frost, October 13 to October 27 here. This city's planting calendar for September: plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, and squash; harvest beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — New Orleans
SPC includes New Orleans in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
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 New Orleans
New Orleans sits in Orleans County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 5m of daylight and its shortest just 10h 12m — a swing of +3h 53m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
New Orleans is the state’s largest city. The nearest town New Orleans tracks is Metairie, roughly 16 miles to the WSW.
Air quality in New Orleans
Air quality in New Orleans’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 33). See the full air-quality history for New Orleans.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes, fall brassicas, carrots |
| February | — | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| March | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, summer squash |
| May | squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| June | squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| July | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | beans, squash | summer squash, winter squash |
| September | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| December | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is New Orleans's warmest stretch (~82°F) and January its coldest (~54°F); precipitation crests in August at 6.2 inches and ebbs in October to 1.9 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 5.0″ |
| February | 56° | 4.5″ |
| March | 62° | 5.0″ |
| April | 69° | 4.0″ |
| May | 76° | 2.8″ |
| June | 81° | 4.6″ |
| July | 82° | 4.9″ |
| August | 82° | 6.2″ |
| September | 79° | 4.8″ |
| October | 72° | 1.9″ |
| November | 63° | 3.3″ |
| December | 57° | 4.3″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Arabi, LA, Chalmette, LA, Meraux, LA
In New Orleans, modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo) put January near 54°F and July near 82°F — a 28°F seasonal arc — with about 51.1 inches of precipitation.
No season owns New Orleans's rain: August reaches 6.2 inches and October keeps 1.9 inches, an even spread through New Orleans's year. That lines New Orleans up with places like Arabi, LA, Chalmette, LA and Meraux, LA, fed by overlapping storm tracks.
New Orleans reaches its last hard frost near January 22; that is the cue for lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens. Tomatoes and peppers do best set out two weeks later in New Orleans, once nights clear the mid-40s°F. The season ends by January 5 in New Orleans, once hard frosts set back in. Open lawns in New Orleans whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: Arabi, LA, Chalmette, LA, Meraux, LA, Violet, LA, Terrytown, LA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in New Orleans?
- In New Orleans, frost is a midwinter event — expect the first freeze around January 5 and New Orleans's last near January 22.
- What is the rainy season in New Orleans?
- New Orleans sees its heaviest rain in August (around 6.2 inches), part of roughly 51 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in New Orleans?
- New Orleans peaks in July, when the mean runs near 82°F.
- What is the coldest month in New Orleans?
- January is New Orleans's coldest month, averaging about 54°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in New Orleans?
- In New Orleans, sow peas and hardy greens around January 22; New Orleans's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- What hardiness zone is New Orleans?
- Since January in New Orleans averages 54°F, New Orleans's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for New Orleans?
- New Orleans'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 New Orleans?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for New Orleans in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in New Orleans?
- Current conditions for New Orleans and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the New Orleans forecast updated?
- The New Orleans forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in New Orleans?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for New Orleans 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 New Orleans?
- The next few days in New Orleans's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
New Orleans sits at 30.1°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in New Orleans
- 70112
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