I've been part of the team that developed this version of the map. You can read alot of details about the map at
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2012/120125.htm

The official url is

www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

KimKa

well, the new map moved me from zone 5b to 6a.
Did anyone else have changes?

I went from 6B to 7B.

PV

No, no changes here, I'm still the same 8b....The zone people will look at and assume is warm when we're not :) 70F is a nice summer day, and my snow from last Wednesday followed by ice storm on Thursday is finally gone/melted today.

It moved me from 6A to 6B.

Karen

I moved from 6a to 6b. It looks like most of the upper east coast of Massachusetts did this.

So far any changes noted here are to a warmer zone. Has anyone been changed to a COLDER zone?

Last time they changed the map I moved from 5b to 6a. However I still won't plant anything that isn't hardy to zone 5, or preferably to zone 4. Nothing like a freak weather event to take out your favorite perennial.

I am now 7a

http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx

If you are 'on the line' you might find the interactive map helpful. Our zip code encompasses such a large area that the zip-code finder came up for me as 7b, but when I zoomed in, I am clearly 8a. Not that it matters much, but it's interesting.

I've been moved from 6B to 7B. I had to zoom in to see, since the zip code I'm in encompasses two very distinct areas.
It's interesting to have been moved one whole zone.

I just got the b added to mine.

mine didnt change still too hot here. :)

Wow - that interactive map is great. Turns out if I lived across the street, I'd be zone 6b! But I still consider myself zone 5.

Some of the moving to cooler zones include
Pierre, South Dakota from 5A to 4B but the actual average low temp is onlyy -20.2 degrees F which means that a change of two tenths of a degree changed their zone. Grand Portage, Minnesta cooled form 4B to 4A but their actual annual average low temp was -27.9 putting them squarely in the middle of their zone. A lot of cooler zones are also in the Sierra Madres, probably because of the greater accuary of this map.

I can show you similar small changes causing a zone change on the warm side too. Tampa, FL moved from 9B to 10A. But the actual average low temp is 30.4. So the new zone is only by 0.4 degrees.

You can get your actual average low temp as well as your zone and its range from the interactive map by clicking on your location and checking the popup box.

What I'm pointing out is that a zone change can be caused by as little as a tenth of a degree, not 5 degrees.

KimKa
(Truth in advertising--I'm part of the team that designed the new map)

wow. I changed to 7A. frightening evidence of a warming trend.
I used to be 6A, then became 6B.

It's going to take some getting used to to be zone 7.

thanks for this.

Just checked the new map and boy are they wronge for my area.
They say I have gone from 5 to 6b. This year has been a very mild and dry winter but we still had -13 just a week ago and last year durring a normal but very wet winter we had -18. I will stick with what I know about my micro climete and not follow the macro climete scale just to stay on the safe side.

This stuff can be really confusing. I used to think I was in zone 6, then the (prior) new map put me in 5, and the seed catalogs had me in 5 also. This new map puts me in 6a. I still plan to use 5 as my guide though, because it can get a lot colder than their temperature guide. I personally think it's better to be more prudent and the only exception would be if you decide to do a "leap of faith" with a particular plant that you desire.

I got moved from 7b to 8a. Don't know what to make of that, because I know our temps are colder than the Dallas area and I WAS going to say Austin, but they've been moved into 8b. Shoot, San Antonio's been moved into 9a! It's ALL different!

I'm now in the middle of 6a...I was on the line of 5b and 6a.

Matthew
Indiana.Matt

Better change my info to 5b. A couple of years ago I can remember being zone 4.

I was an outcast in my area being in 5b with very few acres, while everyone else being in 5a. Now everyone near me is 5b.

Went from zone 5 to 6a.......this really screws up zone wars.

They put me in 6a. Still saying 5 for now though!

I'm still 6B.

Moved from 6b to 7. Don't know if it makes much of a difference.

I went from 7 to 9A according to the new map(small town, not very populated, mountains so one town is up / colder and one lower elevation and warmer, most maps had been pretty generic). I guess you could say my average winter night temp is in the 20's but I think of USDA 9 as my bay area location and can attest to the fact that a lot of the plants I brought with me cannot handle the winters here. Sunset zones still have me at their 7 which is more useful for me (I have SUCH a shorter growing season here). Our record lows tend to be high single digits to low teens, so I'll probably use that - like others every winter it seems we're hitting a "record low" and I don't want to have to run out and cover plants in a snowstorm.

Moved from 5b to 6a, this winter's acting like 7a - what's a guy to do! Sticking with 5b,

Dean