The new map, created by USDA's Agricultural Research Service and Oregon State University, is based on 30 years of data from 13,412 weather stations, almost twice as many as the old map.

The USDA has updated the geographic zones that help gardeners select plants that are suitable for their regions. Learn why the map changed—and whether your area was affected.

For example, Seattle, Washington, and the city of Austin, Texas, are both in the USDA hardiness zone 9a because the map is a measure of the coldest temperature a plant can handle.

Heat domes, atmospheric rivers, bomb cyclones, and polar vortex—you’re not crazy, the weather is. And last week, the USDA confirmed it by releasing an updated climate zone map for 2023. For ...

In the previous map, most of northern Indiana, including Whiley County, was predominantly in Zone 5b. “Average” is the operative word on this map, based on recent 20-year temperature measurements.

The map reflects the “average lowest winter temperature” over a 30-year period at specific locations in each of the zones, according to the USDA. Overall, that average for the country was 2.5 ...

For the first time since 2012, a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map has been released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The map, released Nov. 15, 2023, is a tool used by gardeners and growers ...

The map and its zone system are designed to help gardeners and farmers understand a plant’s ability to survive the winter and thrive where they live. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays.

In 2023, the USDA released a map based on 30-year averages of the lowest annual winter temperatures at the specific locations, split into 10-degree and 5-degree zones, and integrates data from ...

One of the major changes in this year’s edition of the hardiness map is the zone boundaries. The USDA states that the new zones are generally about one-quarter-zone warmer than reported in 2012 ...

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map uses weather data to map average annual extreme minimum temperatures (winter lows) over a recent 20-year period. The most recent release covers weather data from 1991 ...

Each full zone is also divided into half zones. The USDA draws the map using a color-coded key for easier reference. Though it was last updated in 2012, ...