Louisiana operates on Central Standard Time (CST) during winter months, which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-6). During daylight saving time, observed from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, Louisiana switches to Central Daylight Time (CDT), which is UTC-5.
All of Louisiana follows the same time zone. Major cities including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette, and Lake Charles all observe Central Time. This makes scheduling across Louisiana straightforward, as there's no time difference within the state.
Louisiana's Gulf Coast position makes it a critical timezone for oil and gas trading. When it's 9 AM in New Orleans, it's 10 AM in New York and 4 PM in Dubai, coordinating energy markets across continents.