Microclimate map · Canton, Massillon, Alliance, Youngstown, Warren, Salem

Fruit Trees for Canton, Massillon, Alliance, Youngstown and Warren, Ohio

In the January 1984 cold snap, NOAA's Warren 3 S station on the Mahoning valley floor read −26°F while the Youngstown-Warren airport, 267 feet higher on the upland, read −16°F. Your height above the valley floor decides a lot here.

On January 21, 1984, NOAA's Warren 3 S station, on the Mahoning valley floor south of Warren, bottomed out at −26°F. In the same cold snap the Youngstown-Warren airport station, 267 feet higher on the upland, read −16°F. Youngstown's official weather record is kept at that airport, about 300 feet above downtown, so the record book describes the high ground, not the valley the cities were built in. That gap is the first thing to know about fruit trees for Canton, Massillon, Alliance, Youngstown and Warren.

The map covers the Mahoning Valley and most of Stark County in Northeast Ohio, from Massillon and Canton east through Alliance and Youngstown, north to Warren and Newton Falls, and south through Salem and the Columbiana County hills to the Ohio River at East Liverpool. Kent, Ravenna and Hartville sit in the corner it shares with our Cleveland, Akron and Cuyahoga Valley map. Type your address in the box on the map to get the number for your own place, and the list of what we sell that has come through it.

How to read this map

Click any spot and you get four numbers. The planning low is the 30-year number we'd build a planting around, cautious by design and not a prediction of how often it'll come. The MFTC zone is that number in half zones. The typical winter is what an average year's coldest night does there (USDA's zone map works off that kind of average), and across this map it runs 13°F to 17°F milder than the planning low. The spring reading tells you how many degrees warmer or colder a spot gets than downtown Canton on a calm, clear bloom night.

Half the growing ground plans warmer than −21°F and half colder, and downtown Canton, the reference, sits right at that line (MFTC 4b). The warmest 5 percent of it plans for −16°F or warmer, the coldest 5 percent for colder than −25°F. The warmest named place we checked is Pleasant Heights, on the hill above East Liverpool, at −11°F (5b); the coldest are Guilford, west of Lisbon, and Garrettsville, on the north edge, at −28°F (4a). The bulk of our list has come through −30°F or colder, so in most yards here spring decides more than winter does. The spring layer reads as much as 13°F warmer than downtown Canton on the hills above East Liverpool and 10°F colder at Lowellville, on the Mahoning bottom by the Pennsylvania line.

Why the map looks the way it does

This is the glaciated Allegheny Plateau, a fairly even plain with river valleys cut into it, getting hillier to the south where the glacial limit crosses the map. The Mahoning rises near Winona at about 1,296 feet, runs north past Alliance and through Berlin Lake and Lake Milton, then swings southeast through Warren (886 feet) and Youngstown (856 feet) to meet the Shenango at 761 feet, its valley deepening around Youngstown. West of the divide, Canton drains south by Nimishillen Creek toward the Tuscarawas, which runs past Massillon. Between the valleys the upland sits at 1,100 to 1,300 feet.

On a clear, calm night cold air slides off that upland and pools on the valley floors. Warren 3 S, on the floor at 900 feet, has an average yearly low of −8°F and a 149-day frost-free season (the 1991 to 2020 median); the airport station at 1,167 feet averages −5°F and gets 160 days. In the cold snaps of February 1979, January 1984 and February 2015 the floor ran 7°F to 10°F colder. The upper half of the Mahoning is flat, and almost none of the ground within 3 miles of downtown Warren sits up on a bench. A wide, flat floor drains slowly and can trap more cold than a deep valley with a good outlet, and the map puts Warren at −25°F (MFTC 4b), the coldest of the five cities this page is named for.

It doesn't always work that way. In the January 1994 cold snap, which set the all-time lows at both airports on January 19, Warren 3 S got no colder than −19°F while the Youngstown airport read −22°F. The airport's wind chill hit −60°F, so it was blowing, and arctic air on a wind leaves no inversion for a floor to sit under. The spring layer is built for the still, clear nights that kill blossoms.

Height isn't the whole story either. Some of the coldest station records here come from the rolling country south of the Mahoning, not the river floors. Canfield 1 S, at 1,140 feet, ran 4°F colder than the Youngstown airport at nearly the same height (median over 62 years), and Millport 4 NE, at 1,170 feet in Columbiana County, ran 4°F colder than Warren 3 S over 92 years. Two old stations near Canton, only 3 miles apart, differed by 4°F. We haven't found a published explanation for the cold south; a station's own ground (a hollow, an open top, a runway) can matter more than its height.

Where the ground breaks into benches, the high side wins, and by more at bloom than in midwinter. Around Boardman the floor within 3 miles plans for −25°F and the benches −21°F, and Lowellville, on the Mahoning bottom at about 800 feet, has the coldest spring reading of any named place we checked.

Water does less than you'd think. Lake Erie is well north of the map and mostly sends snow, heaviest in northern Trumbull County (67.8 inches a season at the Youngstown airport, about 47 at Akron-Canton); snow insulates roots, though the air over a snowpack runs colder. Berlin Lake and Lake Milton freeze (Berlin averages only 10 to 15 feet deep, and both are ice-fished), and in spring a reservoir shore is just low ground. Around Hartville, Lake and Marlboro townships farm black organic muck, and the kettles under Belden Village hold up to 30 feet of organic deposits. Peat and muck are frost-prone, so treat that ground as frost ground.

Canton, North Canton and the Nimishillen branches

Canton sits where the three branches of Nimishillen Creek come together, at about 1,060 feet, below the kame and kettle country between Canton and Akron, with ridges and kettles at about 1,100 to 1,220 feet around Belden Village. The city plans for −21°F (MFTC 4b), its floor within 3 miles −21°F and its benches −18°F; built-up downtown plans for −20°F. The cold side is the creek bottoms east, northeast and south of downtown: Willow Brook Heights reads 4°F colder than downtown at bloom, Pleasant View 3°F, The Boulevards, Crystal Park and Industrial Heights 2°F, all at −21°F. The warm side is the north-side hills. Mount Vernon, 110 feet over its floor, plans for −19°F (5a) and reads 8°F warmer; Avondale, Fulton Heights, Edgefield and Ridgewood, the brick-street historic district, read 5°F to 6°F warmer. North Canton plans for −18°F (5a) and reads 3°F warmer, Green and Greentown −16°F and 4°F warmer, and Louisville, on the East Branch, −21°F and 2°F warmer.

Everything rated −25°F and colder fits Canton, and on the north-side hills, in North Canton and in Green the −20°F trees do too, like Bing cherry and Santa Rosa plum. Put those, Redstar peach (−25°F) and Harlayne apricot (−30°F) on the hills that read warm. On the east-side bottoms plant apples like Liberty (−35°F) and Honeycrisp (−45°F), and keep pears up off the creek. Louisville's clay made it brick country, so test drainage first: dig 2 feet, fill, let it drain, refill, and if the second fill is gone in under 10 hours you're fine.

Massillon, Navarre and the Tuscarawas

Massillon grew up on the east bank of the Tuscarawas and became a canal port in 1828, and the river floor still sets its number: −21°F (MFTC 4b), 1°F colder than downtown Canton at bloom, with the floor within 3 miles at −21°F and the benches at −18°F. The east-side hills are the good ground. Kendall Heights, 150 feet over its floor, plans for −17°F (5a) and reads 4°F warmer; Charity Rotch and New England read 6°F warmer. Navarre plans for −21°F, and Run Junction, in a draw nearby, −22°F and 6°F colder. On the hills the −20°F trees work, like Flavortop nectarine and Baldwin apple, along with Glohaven peach (−25°F), Tomcot apricot (−30°F) and White Gold sweet cherry (−35°F). On the floor, plant apples rated −25°F and colder, like Freedom (−35°F) and Cortland (−40°F).

East Sparta, Magnolia, Minerva and the hills south of Canton

Stark County had apple orchards by 1806, some tied to Johnny Appleseed, and in the early 1880s ranked third in Ohio for pears. Its best fruit farms in the 1800s were in the hilly south and southeast, and Sandy and Pike townships grew the largest peaches. The history doesn't say why; the map shows hills shedding cold into creek bottoms. East Sparta and North Industry, on the Nimishillen floor, plan for −22°F and read 2°F colder than downtown Canton at bloom, while the benches near East Sparta and Sandyville plan for −18°F. Magnolia and Malvern plan for −23°F and read 5°F colder, Minerva −25°F. Up the slopes it turns around: Lake Mohawk plans for −19°F (5a) and reads 11°F warmer, and Paris, home of Arrowhead Orchard, sits on a bench at 1,265 feet at −22°F and 7°F warmer. Plant it the way the old farms did, up the hill. Contender (−30°F; Tom McCamant grows it at Forbidden Fruit Orchard in Paradise, Montana, and it's the only commercial peach we know of that has taken −32°F), Veteran peach (−30°F) and Sungold apricot (−40°F) clear every number down here.

Alliance, Sebring and the Berlin and Milton lakes

Alliance, the Carnation City, sits at about 1,181 feet with the Mahoning running through its northeast side. It plans for −22°F (MFTC 4b) on a bench 110 feet over its floor and reads 4°F warmer than downtown Canton at bloom; East Alliance, on the floor, plans for −24°F and reads 3°F colder. Sebring and Beloit plan for −23°F, Homeworth −25°F (4a) and 5°F colder. Around the reservoirs it's cold floor with frozen water on it: Berlin Center −25°F, Lake Milton −24°F, and Craig Beach −24°F and 5°F colder at bloom. Stick to trees rated −30°F and colder there, like Wolf River (−50°F) and Haralson (−45°F) apples, Evans Bali tart cherry (−45°F) and, on higher ground, Mount Royal plum (−45°F). Alliance's bench suits Blushingstar peach (−30°F), which came through −25°F at our place on January 13, 2024 without damage.

Youngstown: downtown, the North and South sides and Mill Creek Park

Downtown Youngstown sits on the Mahoning floor at about 860 feet and plans for −23°F (MFTC 4b), with a typical winter of −7°F, and reads 1°F colder than downtown Canton at bloom. The North Side climbs 150 to 210 feet above the floor: Wick Park, Crandall Park and North Heights plan for −20°F and read 6°F to 7°F warmer than downtown Canton at bloom, and Brier Hill, on the hillside above the river, −21°F and 8°F warmer. The South Side is a broad bench 100 to 190 feet over the river: Oak Hill plans for −21°F and reads 9°F warmer, and Cottage Grove plans for −19°F (5a) and reads 6°F warmer. On the East Side, Lincoln Knolls plans for −19°F (5a) and reads 6°F warmer; on the West Side, Belle Vista plans for −20°F and reads 6°F warmer, Kirkmere −23°F and even.

Mill Creek Park runs about 5 miles up Mill Creek through Boardman, some 2,600 acres of gorge, narrows and dammed lakes (Glacier, Cohasset with its hemlocks, and Newport). Where the creek cuts sandstone the valley pinches into the Narrows and the Gorge; where it follows its old buried valley it opens wide. A gorge like that drains cold on a still night, and cold backs up above each narrows. We haven't found measurements in the park, but the rims read well: Idora, on the east side, plans for −21°F and reads 6°F warmer, and Mill Creek Heights, on the west, −22°F and 5°F warmer.

Downriver, Campbell, on a bench 180 feet up, plans for −20°F (5a) and reads 6°F warmer, Struthers −22°F and 5°F warmer, and Lowellville, on the bottom near the state line, −23°F and 10°F colder. The South Side, Campbell and Lincoln Knolls have the bloom readings for apricots, peaches and sweet cherries like Lapins (−35°F) and Stella (−25°F). Downtown and the river flats are apple, currant and haskap ground.

Boardman, Canfield, Poland and Austintown

Boardman was grain and apple orchard country until strip development began around 1950, and its ground splits hard. The center, on a bench 100 feet up, plans for −22°F (MFTC 4b) and reads 7°F warmer than downtown Canton at bloom; Lake Forest, just south, plans for −24°F and reads 3°F colder, and Mill Creek Estates −25°F (4a). Poland splits too: the village plans for −23°F, its South Main Street historic district −24°F and 6°F colder, and Poland Center, 200 feet up and 2.5 miles east, −19°F (5a) and 6°F warmer. Austintown, 170 feet over its floor, plans for −20°F, and Mineral Ridge −19°F (5a) and 5°F warmer at bloom.

Canfield, the farm center of central Mahoning County since 1874, is a cold spot: −25°F (MFTC 4a), with the floor within 3 miles at −27°F and the benches at −24°F. The old Canfield 1 S station ran 4°F colder than the Youngstown airport. Bloom nights are kinder, and Canfield reads 1°F warmer than downtown Canton. On Canfield's ground plant trees rated −30°F and colder, like Northwest Greening and Golden Russet apples (both −40°F), with Ure pear (−45°F) on the rises. The Boardman bench and Poland Center take anything rated −25°F and colder and have the best bloom readings in the south suburbs.

Warren, Niles, Newton Falls and the Trumbull floor

Warren sits on the Mahoning at 886 feet and plans for −25°F (MFTC 4b), with a typical winter of −8°F, and reads 1°F colder than downtown Canton at bloom. Nearly all the ground within 3 miles is floor, which plans for −23°F. Jefferson plans for −25°F (4a), the North End and Leavittsburg −24°F, all 2°F to 3°F colder at bloom. Howland Center, on the floor east of Warren, plans for −22°F and reads 3°F colder, while Howland Terrace, 120 feet up, reads 5°F warmer. Niles, where Mosquito Creek comes in, plans for −22°F and reads 1°F warmer, and Girard, on the river below it, −22°F and 1°F warmer. Up on the plateau north of Youngstown, Churchill and Liberty Manor plan for −19°F (5a) and read 5°F and 2°F warmer, and Vienna, the airport's mailing address, −18°F (5a) and even with downtown Canton; the map reads −17°F at the airport station itself. West toward Newton Falls and Windham (both −24°F) the cold deepens to Garrettsville's −28°F (4a), and the old Ravenna Arsenal station ran 6°F colder than the Youngstown airport. East toward the state line it's milder: Hubbard plans for −20°F (5a) and reads even at bloom, Brookfield, on a bench 220 feet up, −16°F (5a) and 8°F warmer, and Sharon, Pennsylvania, just over the line, plans for −20°F on its river bottom, with Farrell, up the slope, at −18°F and 6°F warmer at bloom.

On Warren's floor plant trees rated −30°F and colder: apples like Zestar!® (−40°F) and Honeycrisp, and Superior (−35°F) and Toka (−45°F) plums on any rise you've got. Toka is a good pollenizer for Superior; the rest of the pairings are on our pollination maps. Northern Trumbull gets the most lake-effect snow in the Valley, and steady snow cover protects roots.

Salem, Lisbon and Columbiana County, down to East Liverpool

Salem, founded by Quakers on the upland at 1,280 feet, plans for −25°F (MFTC 4b), with the floor within 3 miles at −26°F and the benches at −23°F, yet reads 5°F warmer than downtown Canton at bloom. The winter number follows the cold stations around it, the bloom reading the lay of the land. Huffman Fruit Farm and Woolf Farms grow there. The valley towns run as cold or colder in winter and colder at bloom: Leetonia plans for −26°F (4a) and reads 4°F colder at bloom, Lisbon, the county seat, −25°F, Hanoverton −27°F (4a) and 5°F colder, and Millville, on low ground east of Salem, −26°F and 7°F colder. Columbiana plans for −23°F and reads 5°F warmer, Rogers, home of Peace Valley Orchards, −21°F, and Unity, on a bench toward the Pennsylvania line, −18°F (5a).

The Ohio River towns at the south end, Upper Ohio Valley country, are the mildest ground on the map. East Liverpool, 70 feet over the river floor, plans for −13°F (MFTC 5b), with a typical winter of 0°F, and reads 5°F warmer than downtown Canton at bloom. Pleasant Heights, 450 feet over the river, plans for −11°F and reads 13°F warmer, while Wellsville and Chester, on the river bottom, plan for −14°F and −15°F and read 1°F and 4°F colder. NOAA's lock and dam stations on the river show the same mildness: in the January 1984 cold snap the New Cumberland station read −12°F while Warren 3 S read −26°F. We haven't found a published explanation; the valley sits 400 to 500 feet below the plateau. Nearly everything we sell fits here, and Chicago Hardy Fig (−10°F) is worth a try in the warmth of a south-facing wall. Upriver, see our Pittsburgh and Three Rivers map.

Spring frost and bloom in the Mahoning Valley

Bloom nights follow the same drainage as winter, only stronger, and NOAA's 1991 to 2020 frost dates line up the same way. The Youngstown airport, up on the plateau, gets its median last 32°F frost May 5 and its first October 15, a 160-day season; Warren 3 S, on the valley floor, May 10 and October 10, 149 days. The Akron-Canton airport, at 1,210 feet, gets April 26 and October 21, 176 days. Downtown Canton sits about 150 feet lower in the Nimishillen basin with no frost-date station of its own, so expect later dates on low ground there. Millport 4 NE, in the hills, has the shortest season, 142 days; the New Cumberland lock and dam station, at 675 feet on the Ohio just off the map's edge, the longest, 192. In one year out of ten the last 32°F frost is later than May 23 at the Youngstown airport. The last 28°F (about where open blossoms start to die) is gone by April 19 there and April 28 on the Warren floor in the median year.

The damaging freezes come after early warmth. In late March 2012 a frost held below freezing for 12 hours, with a low of 20°F, on peaches in full bloom; the flowers on low-lying, uncovered strawberries were killed, and OSU's Mahoning County educator Eric Barrett said orchard losses varied site to site with elevation, temperature and wind. On April 10, 2016, the Youngstown airport hit 15°F, and Peace Valley's apples, at green tip, showed no dead blossoms. This year, after blossoms opened in March, a hard freeze on March 18 and 19, 2026 took Huffman Fruit Farm's plums outright and half its peaches and apples.

The early bloomers (apricots, peaches, sweet cherries, Japanese plums) belong on the slopes and benches that read warm, ideally facing east or north, since a north slope holds early bloomers back. Lower ground suits apples, haskap and currants. An apple tree needs only about 15 percent of its blossoms to set a crop, haskap flowers take 19°F wide open, and our own Red Lake and Montana Black currants fruited well in 2026 after flower buds saw about 22°F. Most fruit can lose half its blossoms and still crop fine; clustered fruit like cherries and grapes can't spare as many. While trees are in bloom, keep the grass cut low, leave the soil unworked, and irrigate a day or two ahead of a forecast frost.

What the weather records say

NOAA station records put the coldest reading on the map at Millport 4 NE, −34°F on January 19, 1994, the date that also holds the all-time lows at the Akron-Canton airport (−25°F) and the Youngstown airport (−22°F). Warren 3 S's record is −26°F (January 21, 1984), and on the Ohio the New Cumberland lock and dam's −20°F (January 13, 1912). An average year's coldest night runs −2°F at the Montgomery lock and dam, −5°F at the Youngstown airport, −8°F at Warren 3 S and −13°F at Millport.

The modern stations behind this map are fit on winters since 1995-96, so January 1994 isn't in them, and that night beat their numbers. Akron-Canton's own 30-year number is −15°F and it read −25°F; the Youngstown airport's is −17°F and it read −22°F; Millport 4 NE's is −24°F and it read −34°F. That's the case for trees with room to spare.

Youngstown is listed in USDA zone 6a, which comes from averaging each winter's coldest night. Ours come out about a zone and a half colder, 4b on the Mahoning floor, since we zone for the bad night instead. A 2014 OSU Master Gardener column gave Youngstown gardeners much the same advice: plan for zone 5 and treat zone 6 perennials as annuals.

What you can grow here

The Ohio River hills and East Liverpool, −11°F to −15°F. On the hills: Bing and Black Gold (−35°F) sweet cherries, Santa Rosa and Shiro (−30°F) plums, Arctic Glo nectarine (−20°F), Risingstar peach (−25°F). Newtown Pippin apple (−30°F), Seckel pear (−35°F) and Montana Trial Pawpaw (−30°F).

Town hills and warm benches, −16°F to −20°F (North Canton, Green, Hartville, Canton's north side, Massillon's east side, Campbell, Liberty Manor, Vienna, Brookfield, Poland Center). Everything rated −20°F and colder. Apples: Baldwin, Black Oxford (−35°F), Northern Spy (−30°F). Pears off the low spots: Harrow Sweet and Clapp's Favorite (both −30°F). On the slopes: Lapins and Bing cherries, Italian plum (−35°F), Redstar and Glowingstar (−25°F) peaches, Hardired nectarine (−25°F), Concord grape (−30°F).

The valley floors and the middle of the map, −21°F to −24°F (Canton, Massillon, Alliance, Youngstown, Boardman, Poland, Niles, Girard, Howland, Columbiana). Trees rated −25°F and colder. Apples: Honeycrisp, Liberty, Enterprise and Macoun (both −35°F). Pears on the higher ground: Bartlett (−35°F) and Flemish Beauty (−40°F). Plums off the low spots: Superior and Toka. Cherries on ground that reads warm at bloom: Lapins, Stella, Montmorency (−35°F). Peaches on the benches: Contender, Blushingstar, Veteran.

Warren, Canfield, Salem and the cold floors, −25°F to −28°F (Warren, Canfield, Salem, Leetonia, Lisbon, Hanoverton, Guilford, Homeworth, Garrettsville). Trees rated −30°F and colder; the −25°F trees are good picks only where your number reads −25°F, and worth a try on a rise below that. Apples: Wolf River, Haralson, Zestar!®. If you only plant one tree, make it a Kerr (−50°F) or Trailman (−55°F) applecrab. Pears on the rises: Ure and Summercrisp (−45°F). Plums on the rises: Toka, Mount Royal, Pipestone (−40°F). Cherries: Evans Bali and Romeo dwarf cherry (−50°F). Peaches only on the warmest ground: Siberian C (−35°F), the hardiest peach we know of, very late ripening. Apricots only where the spring reading is good: Westcot (−45°F).

Anywhere on the map: Honeyberry (−50°F), Montana Black Currant (−50°F), Red Lake currant (−40°F), Pixwell gooseberry (−40°F), Nova raspberry (−50°F) and Aronia (−50°F). Our raspberries, honeyberries, currants and gooseberries all came through 2026 well.

Plant on a slope, not on the creek bottom and not on a windswept hilltop; an east-facing slope is ideal, and Montana State recommends a 4 to 8 percent grade. Clear brush or a tree line across the bottom of a slope so it doesn't dam cold air uphill. On zone 4 ground, most of the floors here, taper water from mid-August so trees harden off. Roots are the weak link and snow protects them; Stark County gets less snow than northern Trumbull, so mulch the root zone and use a hardy rootstock (Bud 118 apple rootstock has seen near −50°F under snow at Ed Schultz's farm in Gallatin Gateway, Montana, with no damage). Local troubles on record: spring frost after early warmth, winter cold that took the peach crop in 1994 and 2014, and the plum pest, which ended Stark County's run as natural plum country around 1845.

Questions people ask

What growing zone is Youngstown, Ohio?

Downtown Youngstown, on the Mahoning floor, plans for −23°F, MFTC zone 4b, with a typical winter of −7°F; the South Side bench plans for −19°F to −21°F. Youngstown is listed in USDA zone 6a, an average-winter zone; ours is set by the bad night.

What planting zone is Canton, Ohio?

Canton plans for −21°F, MFTC zone 4b, and so does Massillon. North Canton and the north-side hills (Mount Vernon, Ridgewood, Edgefield) plan for −18°F to −19°F (5a), and the creek bottoms on the east and south sides −21°F.

When is the last frost in Youngstown?

Going by NOAA's 1991 to 2020 medians, the last 32°F frost comes May 5 at the Youngstown-Warren airport, on the upland about 300 feet above downtown, and May 10 at Warren 3 S on the valley floor. In one year out of ten it's later than May 23 at the airport and May 24 at Warren 3 S.

Can you grow peaches in the Mahoning Valley?

Yes. Local farms grow them, including White House, Huffman and Haus, though winter took the Valley's crop in 1994 and 2014. Pick peaches rated well past your planning low, like Contender (−30°F) or Siberian C (−35°F), and plant them on a bench that reads warm at bloom, like Boardman or Youngstown's South Side.

How cold does it get in Youngstown and Canton?

NOAA station records show −22°F at the Youngstown airport and −25°F at the Akron-Canton airport, both on January 19, 1994, and −26°F at Warren 3 S on January 21, 1984. In an average year the coldest night is about −5°F to −6°F at the airports and −8°F on the Warren floor.

Where are the frost pockets around Youngstown and Canton?

The cold spots on the spring layer include Lowellville, on the Mahoning bottom (10°F colder than downtown Canton on a still bloom night), Elkton in Columbiana County (9°F colder), Millville just east of Salem (7°F colder), Hanoverton, Craig Beach and Limaville (5°F colder), and the creek bottoms on Canton's east side (2°F to 4°F colder).

Warmer spots, colder spots

Here's the number to plan for at named places on the map, warmest first. Each one is the 1-in-30-year low for that spot: the cold hardiness calculator's number from the same weather stations, sharpened by our microclimate model for the ground right there. Zone is our MFTC zone, set by that one bad night, not by an average.

Runs warmer

    Runs colder

      How this map works

      Every number on this map is a 30-year planning low, the same number our cold hardiness calculator gives. It's built from NOAA station records, leans a little cold on purpose, and gets nudged a degree or two for the ground right around you. The spring frost layer runs our full terrain model, which follows cold air down the draws and into the bottoms. It's a planning number, not a promise: how long the cold lasts, wind, soil and late-winter warm spells matter too.

      The physics of cold air, how the number is built, every terrain weight and the limits of the model are all on one page: how our microclimate maps work.

      The weather stations behind it

      These are the long-record stations in and around this map, with each one's own numbers since the winter of 1995-96. The last column is this map's 30-year number right at the station, which won't match the station exactly: it's a blend of the stations around it, the way the calculator works everywhere.

      Station Elev (ft) Winters Coldest since 1995 Average winter low 1-in-30 low Map here

      Source: NOAA records through ACIS, winters 1995-96 through 2025-26. What the "carried forward," "gaps filled" and AWOS rows mean is explained in how our microclimate maps work.

      Take your spot to the calculator. Click your ground on the map, then open the cold hardiness calculator at that spot. It will show you every plant we grow that has come through that cold.

      Open the cold hardiness calculator
      Terrain: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Land cover: NLCD (MRLC). Station records: NOAA via ACIS. Roads and place names: OpenStreetMap contributors. Model and write-up: Montana Fruit Trees, Missoula, Montana.

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