Lynn your colour code is red same as mine. I had a itchy feeling
Regards,
Arif.

Arif, my area is the BWk (pea green color). No where near the red.

Huuum, you are in pea green and if you take a microscope you will see a small patch of pea green, light green, medium blue and something which looks like grey. Now where am I? This piddly country has 14 shades in it.
This Koppen climate classification serves our needs better then zones. Maybe some tweaking required according to inputs because Koppen could not have had as many members giving feedback as ATP.
Regards,
Arif.

I'm having trouble finding the map you guys are talking about, at least of a size where I can see what color my area is. Can someone provide the relevant link? Pretty please?

Here's a nice link, though it only displays at the global scale:
http://www.harpercollege.edu/m...

You can select just "C", and only the "C" zones appear in color. And the color scheme is easier for me to distinguish. It lets you find your Garden Climate Buddies anywhere in the world.

Now I'm looking for a more-zoomable map.


Edited to add: this is a little more zoomable:

USA:
http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien....
http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien....

I set up some Koppen links in my signature block, and edited my Public Profile Infobox:

USDA Hardiness Zone 8b. Avg. lows 15-20 F but 0F is seen rarely.
50% Frost Dates: April 6 - Oct.26. 90% April 25-Oct.7
Sunset Zone 5 (Marine influence along Puget Sound.)
Koppen Zone Csb (Dry-summer sub-tropical. Mediterranean.)
Summer high 75-85 F. 200-275 frost-free days. Heat accumulation is low.
Fall, Winter and Spring are frequently cloudy, foggy, misty, drizzly and/or rainy.

Various sources tell me my average summer high temps are much lower, but I know what I've seen the last few years!

Ok, looks like, if I did this right, we are Dsb here. Now to figure out what that means.

I think Wikipedia may have meant "West Coast", not "East Coast"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K...

"These climates have an average temperature above 10 °C (50 °F) in their warmest months, and a coldest month average below −3 °C (or 0 °C in some versions, as noted previously).

These usually occur in the interiors of continents, or on their east coasts, north of 40° North latitude.."

"Dsc, like Dsa and Dsb, is confined exclusively to highland locations near areas that have Mediterranean climates, and is the rarest of the three as a still higher altitude is needed to produce this climate"

s indicates dry summers (June, July and August in northern hemisphere?) (driest summer month less than 30 mm average precipitation and less than one-third wettest winter month precipitation)

a indicates warmest month average temperature above 22 °C (72 °F) with at least 4 months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F),

b indicates warmest month averaging below 22 °C, but with at least 4 months averaging above 10 °C,

while c means 3 or fewer months with mean temperatures above 10 °C.

Oh Boy! I found a listing of US Koppen Zones listed by State and County! Not yet b y ZIP Code.

Edited to add the link!
US Koppen Zones listed by State and County:
http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien....


I learned that every US County has a unique "FIPS Code". The first two digits specify the state, and the last three specify the county.

Snohomish County in WA has three Koppen Zones (I think distance from the shore and altitude are the main determiners here:

Csb (me)
Cfb
Dsc

Rick I just looked at the Sunset zone for my area. The information is far more useable than the USDA zones.
Wonderful explanation on our growing conditions. Love it.

Cwb, Dwb with a patch of ET, I am somewhere in the middle.
Translation: C=Temperate, w=dry winter, b=<22c. Nopes, 20 kilometers away.
Let see I like Cwa better
ET?? Malam Jabba ski resort. Check.
Cwb?? Murree hills. Check.
Dwb?? Abbotabad, Manserra area. Check.
I think I will put Cwa, Cwb and Dwb as my area but Am, Tropical Monsoon climate is only half hour away. Azad Kashmir.
Lucky me but what should I write down Rick?
Am, Cwa, Cwb and Dwb seems to meet my needs but how can it be explained to others? Biodiversity at its best.
Ok, entered it in profile.
Regards,
Arif

Well, after playing with the map some more, it definitely shows our little spot as Dsb, but I think our summer months average above 72F since we usually get at least 3 weeks that hover around 100F. Of course, those are the only temperatures I notice, so maybe it does average out.

Woofie said:
>> shows our little spot as Dsb, but I think our summer months average above 72F since we usually get at least 3 weeks that hover around 100F.

I thought "the map" got my summer highs wrong (too low). I suppose that "averages" are very different from "I remember that year when ...". I should try to remember when describing climate (instead of weather) how different it is to say "we occasionally go over 85F" and "the AVERAGE summer only goes to 75F". Then I should try to distinguish between "average mean" and "average median" ... but I doubt if I will, very often!

It would be nice to be able to pull up graphs from historical data to reduce the "overwhelming" factor.

I really like the fact that Koppen tried to pick zones in alignment with what plant types grew where. That tends to make the categories useful!

But at least Koppen, Sunset and USDA give us a way to categorize climates that might be widely recognized ... or at least that others can look up if they take the trouble.


Of course, it is also TOO concise. "Csb" has a lot more detail, but this is more easily understood: "Dry-summer sub-tropical. Mediterranean".

Lynn said:
>> Rick I just looked at the Sunset zone for my area. The information is far more useable than the USDA zones.

I totally agree. They consider many more things than just "avg winter lowest temperature". Sunset zones are USEFUL!

So you're Sunset Zone 6? "The Willamette and Columbia River Valleys"? I would like your warmer summers for growing tomatoes and red peppers, but I like my very mild winters. I guess I'll stay where I am. If I were both rich and retired, I would like a garden in both spots!

BTW, I wish the USDA published Zones for winter lows to be expected around every 5-years, 10-years and 20-years. Or maybe an 80%, 90% and 95% low temp: the temperature that only 20%, 10% or 5% of years went below in the last 100 years.

Arif said:
>> Am, Cwa, Cwb and Dwb

Wow, you're at a climate crossroads! I see your "multi-region gardener micro-badge". Does that mean that you have gardens in several different locations?

I recently saw a reference to "Ecoregion": 2f - Central Puget Lowland.
That site mostly has infinitely zoomable maps: very cool!


Interactive EPA Ecoregions Map for Washington

"Based on Ecoregions developed by the EPA, Plantmaps Ecoregions describe areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources, as well as similarity of climate that can assist Washington gardeners."

http://www.plantmaps.com/inter...
(Nice link - this has a whole TABLE of different maps, like heat zones, and native trees and plants.)

WA heat zones: avg # of days over 86F
http://www.plantmaps.com/inter...

http://www.plantmaps.com/inter...

Yes over a period of time I have that honor. Karachi is pure BWh, Murree is Cwb, Islamabad is Cwa/Cwb, Rawalpindi is Cwb/Cwa and Azad Kashmir is Am . That does make quite a few zones and all the confusion in my mind has only now been cleared up. Tropicos is outdated, their classification does follow Koppens outline but does not have much detail. Love the Koppen map but how to fit it unto a detailed map showing the cities? I am quite sure some may not be able to interpolate their relative position on this map.
As to having current gardens in multi zones, no but I buy, develop, sell barren land. Until it is sold I farm it if not grow a garden. Due to the nature of terrain where I buy next has an element of luck and every time I do so, I have to relearn the sowing times of the current area. Should make me a multi zone gardener who at least knew that altitude and terrain makes a difference to what grows when and where.
Lynn it should now rest your confusion over my plants and the photographs I post. Just found out that Mazari palm and Fan palm grows wild here. Always thought that palms love heat but now I am finding out palms also love the freezer .
Regards,
Arif.

Rick sorry I forgot. Vector in climate change. This upper end of the heat not being in accordance with what Koppen in 1884 gave and current, lay it at the feet of climate change.
Regards,
Arif.

Looks to me that we are Sunset zone 2A, just based on the fact that we can grow apples and cherries here. We're really just somewhere in-between Sunset Zone 1A and 2A because our little piece of Eden is not as nasty as 1A and not as (more or less) benign as 2A. Looking at their map, we're just on the border area between the two zones.

DUH, here is the link to US Koppen Zones listed by State and County:

http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien....