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
Conditions updated 9:25 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Showers later29%0.41″95°75°—
- TuesdaySep 22Clear17%—95°74°0°
- WednesdaySep 23Overcast17%—99°74°+4°
- ThursdaySep 24Light Drizzle——97°74°-2°
- FridaySep 25Light Drizzle——93°69°-4°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——94°73°+1°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——94°70°0°
Air quality now AQI 35 · Good
AQI 35 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 7.4 µg/m³ (AQI 41) with a 0.75 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 during the projected peak around 7 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 31 now. With UV 3.4 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 14.
- Present
- AQI 31
- UV peak
- 3.4 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 14
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 7.4 µg/m³ (AQI 41) with a 0.75 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.75
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
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
- 4:16 PM
- Moonset
- 1:58 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
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
16-Day Forecast — Lafayette
- Mon95°75°29%
- Tue95°74°17%
- Wed99°74°17%
- Thu97°74°1%
- Fri93°69°1%
- Sat94°73°1%
- Sun94°70°8%
- Mon91°70°14%
- Tue88°70°36%
- Wed76°70°27%
- Thu71°69°17%
- Fri72°70°26%
- Sat83°71°32%
- Sun89°71°42%
- Mon77°60°26%
- Tue77°52°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 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 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
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| May | squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| June | squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, garlic |
| July | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | summer squash, winter squash |
| September | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall 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).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 4.5″ |
| February | 55° | 4.1″ |
| March | 61° | 4.2″ |
| April | 68° | 4.5″ |
| May | 75° | 3.4″ |
| June | 81° | 3.6″ |
| July | 83° | 4.8″ |
| August | 82° | 5.3″ |
| September | 79° | 3.3″ |
| October | 72° | 2.3″ |
| November | 61° | 4.3″ |
| December | 54° | 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