Lake Charles, Louisiana Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Lake Charles weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 9:27 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear11%—97°74°—
- TuesdaySep 22Clear17%0.99″99°76°+2°
- WednesdaySep 23Overcast13%—98°74°-1°
- ThursdaySep 24Overcast——97°75°-1°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——94°69°-3°
- SaturdaySep 26Light Drizzle——91°73°-3°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——94°72°+3°
Air quality now AQI 56 · Moderate
AQI 56 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 16.8 µg/m³ (AQI 65) with a 0.86 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 34 now. With UV 3.2 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 15.
- Present
- AQI 34
- UV peak
- 3.2 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 15
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 16.8 µg/m³ (AQI 65) with a 0.86 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.86
- 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
- 4:21 PM
- Moonset
- 2:03 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Lake Charles at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 86°F (high 97°F, low 74°F), 9°F above the 77°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: February 14 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 9 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots; harvest beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Lake Charles
- Mon97°74°11%
- Tue99°76°17%
- Wed98°74°13%
- Thu97°75°1%
- Fri94°69°2%
- Sat91°73°4%
- Sun94°72°9%
- Mon92°73°12%
- Tue86°73°37%
- Wed81°69°29%
- Thu77°69°13%
- Fri72°70°32%
- Sat84°70°35%
- Sun87°71°39%
- Mon77°60°34%
- Tue76°53°24%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Lake Charles
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Lake Charles — 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 December 7) is weeks away. Fall transplants go in about 10–12 weeks before the first frost, September 14 to September 28 here. 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 — Lake Charles
SPC includes Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles
Lake Charles sits in Calcasieu 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 196 miles to the E. The nearest town Lake Charles tracks is Lafayette, roughly 70 miles to the E.
Air quality in Lake Charles
Air quality in Lake Charles’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 47). See the full air-quality history for Lake Charles.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| March | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| May | squash | lettuce, peas, 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 | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | summer squash, winter squash |
| September | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is Lake Charles's warmest stretch (~83°F) and January its coldest (~52°F); precipitation crests in August at 5.6 inches and ebbs in October to 2.5 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 4.4″ |
| February | 54° | 3.8″ |
| March | 61° | 4.2″ |
| April | 68° | 4.4″ |
| May | 75° | 3.8″ |
| June | 81° | 3.8″ |
| July | 83° | 4.8″ |
| August | 83° | 5.6″ |
| September | 79° | 3.5″ |
| October | 71° | 2.5″ |
| November | 61° | 4.7″ |
| December | 53° | 5.5″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Prien, LA, Westlake, LA, Moss Bluff, LA
Lake Charles's climate, from modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo), pairs 52°F Januarys with 83°F Julys — a 31°F swing. About 51.1 inches of precipitation falls each year.
No season owns Lake Charles's rain: August reaches 5.6 inches and October keeps 2.5 inches, an even spread through Lake Charles's year. It is a balanced pattern Lake Charles shares with places like Prien, LA, Westlake, LA and Moss Bluff, LA.
The cool-season window in Lake Charles starts at February 14, when nights stop freezing — think lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens. In Lake Charles, warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, basil — wait two weeks past Lake Charles's frost date. Around December 7, freezing nights resume in Lake Charles and tender crops must come in. Sheltered Lake Charles yards can escape a light frost.
Similar climates: Prien, LA, Westlake, LA, Moss Bluff, LA, Sulphur, LA, Carlyss, LA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Lake Charles?
- Lake Charles's last spring frost lands near February 14, and in Lake Charles the first fall frost follows around December 7.
- What is the rainy season in Lake Charles?
- Lake Charles sees its heaviest rain in August (around 5.6 inches), part of roughly 51 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Lake Charles?
- The warmest stretch in Lake Charles comes in July, around 83°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Lake Charles?
- On average January is the chilliest month in Lake Charles, about 52°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Lake Charles?
- Time tomatoes in Lake Charles for two weeks after February 14; peas and greens start at Lake Charles's frost line.
- What hardiness zone is Lake Charles?
- Lake Charles'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 Lake Charles?
- Lake Charles'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 Lake Charles?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Lake Charles in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Lake Charles?
- Current conditions for Lake Charles and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Lake Charles forecast updated?
- The Lake Charles forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Lake Charles?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles?
- The next few days in Lake Charles's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Lake Charles sits at 30.2°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Lake Charles
- 70601
- 70602
- 70605
- 70606
- 70607
- 70609
- 70611
- 70612
- 70615
- 70616
- 70629