Re: Re: issue with proposed hardiness zone map at AHS site

**"* P* L* <t*@spamfodder.com>**

> What are the temperature records in your area for this period? We have 
> not had a "typical" winter based on the 1990 map in Minneapolis in 
> years. We have been classified zone 4a which would have you believe our 
> winter minimum to be -30. In the last 9 years (the length of time I 
> have lived in this zone) We have reached that minimum only twice, and 
> then they were only spikes. For at least 4 of those 9 years the minimum 
> has been equivalent to zone 6a. The new map puts us in zone 5 which is 
> certainly more accurate than zone 4a was. The shape of the bubble 
> including the Twin Cities also helps when explaining the phenomena that 
> can affect these numbers to inexperienced gardeners.

On the other hand, we used to be zone 5b, but the new map places us at
zone 6.

Just this winter we reached a low of -16F (which should be zone 5), so
we've already invalidated the new map for our part of the country.

Does anyone know when AHS will put the new zone information out on a 
per zipcode basis?  Their site says mid-2003, but that's come and gone
already.

Also, how do people get hardiness zone to zip code data for their Web
sites?  Is there a publicly available source?  I suppose that I could 
write a script to pull the weather service lows and highs for all US
zip codes and compile the data that way, but it's a lot of work.  :)
Any tips?

Chris

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