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National Map | Garden page |
| A plant's performance is governed by the total climate: length of growing season, timing and amount of rainfall, winter lows, summer highs, humidity. Sunset's climate zone maps take all these factors into account — unlike the familiar hardiness zone maps devised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which divide the U.S. and Canada into zones based strictly on winter lows. The U.S.D.A. maps tell you only where a plant may survive the winter; our climate zone maps let you see where that plant will thrive year-round. |
| ZONE 31. Interior Plains of Gulf Coast and Coastal Southeast Growing season: mid-Mar. to early Nov. In this extensive east-west zone, hot and sticky summers contrast with chilly winters (record low temperatures are 7 degrees to 0 degrees F/-14 degrees to -18 degrees C). There's rain all year (an annual average of 50"), with the least falling in Oct. |
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ZONE 32. Interior Plains of Mid-Atlantic States; Chesapeake Bay, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey
Growing season: late Mar. to early Nov. Rain falls year-round (40" to 50" annually); winter lows (moving through the zone from south to north) are 30 degrees to 20 degrees F/-1 degree to -7 degrees C. Humidity is less oppressive here than in Zone 31. |
| ZONE 33. North-Central Texas and Oklahoma Eastward to the Appalachian Foothills Growing season: mid-April through Oct. Warm Gulf Coast air and colder continental/arctic fronts both play a role; their unpredictable interplay results in a wide range in annual rainfall (22" to 52") and winter lows (20 degrees to 0 degrees F/-7 degrees to -18 degrees C). Summers are muggy and warm to hot. |
| ZONE 34. Lowlands and Coast from Gettysburg to North of Boston Growing season: late April to late Oct. Ample rainfall and humid summers are the norm. Winters are variable--typically fairly mild (around 20 degrees F/-7 degrees C), but with lows down to -3 degrees to -22 degrees F/-19 degrees to -30 degrees C if arctic air swoops in. |
| ZONE 35. Ouachita Mountains, Northern Oklahoma and Arkansas, Southern Kansas to North-Central Kentucky and Southern Ohio Growing season: late April to late Oct. Rain comes in all seasons. Summers can be truly hot and humid. Without arctic fronts, winter lows are around 18 degrees F/-8 degrees C; with them, the coldest weather may bring lows of -20 degrees F/-29 degrees C. |
| ZONE 36. Appalachian Mountains Growing season: May to late Oct. Thanks to greater elevation, summers are cooler and less humid, winters colder (0 degrees to -20 degrees F/-18 degrees to -29 degrees C) than in adjacent, lower zones. Rain comes all year (heaviest in spring). Late frosts are common. |
| ZONE 37. Hudson Valley and Appalachian Plateau Growing season: May to mid-Oct., with rainfall throughout. Lower in elevation than neighboring Zone 42, with warmer winters: lows are 0 degrees to -5 degrees F/-18 degrees to -21 degrees C, unless arctic air moves in. Summer is warm to hot, humid. |
| ZONE 38. New England Interior and Lowland Maine Growing season: May to early Oct. Summers feature reliable rainfall and lack oppressive humidity of lower-elevation, more southerly areas. Winter lows dip to -10 degrees to -20 degrees F/-23 degrees to -29 degrees C , with periodic colder temperatures due to influxes of arctic air. |
| ZONE 39. Shoreline Regions of the Great Lakes Growing season: early May to early Oct. Springs and summers are cooler here, autumns milder than in areas farther from the lakes. Southeast lakeshores get the heaviest snowfalls. Lows reach 0 degrees to -10 degrees F/-18 degrees to -23 degrees C. |
| ZONE 40. Inland Plains of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario Growing season: mid-May to mid-Sept., with rainy, warm, variably humid weather. The lakes help moderate winter lows; temperatures typically range from -10 degrees to -20 degrees F/-23 degrees to -29 degrees C, with occasional colder readings when arctic fronts rush through. |
| ZONE 41. Northeast Kansas and Southeast Nebraska to Northern Illinois and Indiana, Southeast Wisconsin, Michigan, Northern Ohio Growing season: early May to early Oct. Winter brings average lows of -11 degrees to -20 degrees F/-23 degrees to -29 degrees C. Summers in this zone are hotter and longer west of the Mississippi, cooler and shorter nearer the Great Lakes; summer rainfall increases in the same west-to-east direction. |
| ZONE 42. Interior Pennsylvania and New York; St. Lawrence Valley Growing season: late May to late Sept. This zone's elevation gives it colder winters than surrounding zones: lows range from -20 degrees to -40 degrees F/-29 degrees to -40 degrees C, with the colder readings coming in zone's Canadian portion. Summers are humid, rainy. |
| ZONE 43. Upper Mississippi Valley, Upper Michigan, Southern Ontario and Quebec Growing season: late May to mid-Sept. The climate is humid from spring through early fall; summer rains are usually dependable. Arctic air dominates in winter, with lows typically from -20 degrees to -30 degrees F/-29 degrees to -34 degrees C. |
| ZONE 44. Mountains of New England and Southeastern Quebec Growing season: June to mid-Sept. Latitude and elevation give fairly cool, rainy summers, cold winters with lows of -20 degrees to -40 degrees F/-29 degrees to -40 degrees C. Choose short-season, low heat-requirement annuals and vegetables. |
| ZONE 45. Northern Parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Eastern Manitoba through Interior Quebec Growing season: mid-June through Aug., with rain throughout; rainfall (and humidity) are least in zone's western part, greatest in eastern reaches. Winters are frigid (-30 degrees to -40 degrees F/-34 degrees to -40 degrees C), with snow cover, deeply frozen soil. |
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