Hi everyone,
Did you hear that recently, the USDA updated the plant hardiness zones? These changes impact the average low temperatures across the United States and Puerto Rico. The last time this had been updated was 2012. When compared to the 2012 map, the 2023 version reveals that about half of the country shifted to the next warmer half zone, and the other half of the country remained in the same half zone.
What you need to know:
The 2023 map is based on 30-year averages of the lowest annual winter temperatures at specific locations
The designations do not reflect the coldest it has ever been or ever will be at a specific location
It is simply the average lowest winter temperature for the location over a specified time
It is divided into 13 different 10-degree Fahrenheit zones and further divided into 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zones
The 2023 map incorporates data from 13,412 weather stations
Here is a link to the press release on the USDA website with an interactive map where you can enter your own zip code (if you live in the United States)
Did you know?
These USDA hardiness zones can be found on your account page
On the bottom of your profile, the last entry is your 'Climate Zone'
For those members from North America, the USDA hardiness zone will auto populate once you enter your zip code
For those members outside of North America, you can use the USDA hardiness zone map to estimate your own Climate Zone where you live
We are currently making updates to the hardiness zones on the website and will have these completed shortly
For those of you who have published climate zones for your country, please let me know and I can try to make similar updates for your home country
Thanks again for being a member of Project Palm!