USDA Hardiness Zones Updated

[jayfar]

I was in zone 6b a couple years ago; the revised, finer-grained map has me a tad warmer in zone 7b.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

What's New | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

[sunshine]

Thanks for the link. Nothing has changed for me. Am still in the 4a-4b zone. I'm wondering how much winter kill in the gardens I'm gonna have where we didn't get snow and cold until just a few weeks ago.

[Daethen]

Global warming.

[jayfar]

Originally Posted by Daethen

Global warming.

Or maybe not. See disclaimer:

What's New | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Climate Change
Climate changes are usually based on trends in overall average temperatures recorded over 50-100 years. Because the USDA PHZM represents 30-year averages of what are essentially extreme weather events (the coldest temperature of the year), changes in zones are not reliable evidence of whether there has been global warming.

Compared with the 1990 version, zone boundaries in this edition of the map have shifted in many areas. The new PHZM is generally one half-zone warmer than the previous PHZM throughout much of the United States, as a result of a more recent averaging period (1974–1986 vs. 1976–2005). However, some of the changes in the zones are the results of the new, more sophisticated mapping methods and greater numbers of station observations used in this map, which has greatly improved accuracy, especially in mountainous regions. These changes are sometimes to a cooler, rather than warmer, zone.

[orchids4me]

Originally Posted by jayfar

Or maybe not. See disclaimer:

What's New | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

I agree, we are cooling.... And I don't think those 2 earthquakes that shifted our pole and true north moved is helping it any.... We've had some bizzare weather and patterns the past few year also so things are def changing and its getting colder over here in these parts.

[tangers40]

wheee....4b.

and we've had such a mild winter it's ridiculous.

[bearded orchid]

6-a for me. Ironic as this winter has been quite balmy so far.

[janet_a]

hmm. there's a cherry tree blooming (a lot) in front of the department of justice in DC...

[AtantaR]

granted they fine tune things as we relize how stupid or quick we come to conclusions....i still think global warming is playing a major factor, naturally occurring as well as being pushed and stimulated by humans to make the natural process exponentially increase....for anyone who thinks that weather isnt effected by industrial manufacturing and human life, is just plan silly.....try an errelevent experiment, take your car and smash it into your house, then let it run while you take all your trash and decorate your house with it, then take your insulation and make believe its snowing..then let me know how it effects you and your living space...cause sometimes you need to see massive effects right in your face to even lift a finger and change ones mind "hmmmm maybe we should do something now, the car is stuck and out of gas"....global warming, doesnt mean literally warming..its should be called global climate displacement...changing climate from where "we" can remember to where "we" can think and see. the earth naturally heats and cools....yes, but "we" go around "painting houses black" wondering hmmm geee that color is nice....ramble....and sorry...peace and love and respect