Read a Plant Climate Profile

Plant Climate Map pairs seasonal climate and winter cold at a selected point across the 48 contiguous United States. The two published classifications keep their own meanings.

Köppen–Geiger climate

Seasonal patterns of temperature and precipitation, such as hot summers or a dry season.

USDA Plant Hardiness

The average of each year's coldest temperature, divided into winter-cold half-zones of 5°F.

For an illustrative point profile, Cfa · 7b pairs a temperate climate with no dry season and hot summers (Cfa) with an average annual extreme minimum of 5 to 10°F (7b).

Select a point, then read both labels

Tap the map or search for a place. A place search selects a representative point, so its profile does not describe the whole city or town. A county search outlines an area; select a point within it to read a profile.

Historical grids, with limits

Both climate layers describe 1991–2020: the Beck et al. Köppen–Geiger V3 dataset (January 2026) and the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The overview display is generalized; selected-point results read each source's original grid cells independently of zoom.

Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories are outside this release. Water, source gaps and some coastal or boundary locations may have no paired data; missing values are not filled from nearby cells. These historical classifications provide no frost dates, weather forecast or guarantee of plant survival. Soil, moisture, exposure and local microclimate still matter.