In areas with winters that are both cold and wet, I think they have a better chance in more exposed, well-drained sites at lower elevations.
Central Ohio is outside the Appalachian rainforest/near-rainforest climate I'm primarily familiar with so it wouldn't surprise me if it's both better draining (i.e., less wet) and also at a lower elevation. It's amazing how comparatively "small" variations like this can matter so much.
I know somebody whose poppies reseed in Zone 4 because even though it's cold, it is still dry enough.
