What Hardiness Zone Is West Virginia?

Q: What hardiness zone is West Virginia?

West Virginia is in USDA hardiness zones 5b–7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Zone 7a is the most common, covering 49% of West Virginia's ZIP codes, and zone 6b covers 43%. Enter your ZIP code for your exact zone.

Q: What does zone 7a mean?

Zone 7a means the average annual extreme minimum temperature, the coldest night of a typical winter, is 0°F to 5°F (−18°C to −15°C). Perennials, shrubs and trees rated for zone 7a or colder should survive winter there.

Q: What is the coldest hardiness zone in West Virginia?

Zone 5b is the coldest zone mapped in West Virginia, found around Glady 1 N, and zone 7a is the warmest, found around Martinsburg 2.

Q: Did West Virginia's hardiness zones change in 2023?

The USDA released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map in November 2023, based on 1991–2020 temperatures instead of 1976–2005. About half of the United States shifted half a zone warmer. Check your ZIP code here, because plant tags and older books may still list your 2012 zone.

Q: When should I plant in zone 7a?

Hardiness zones don't set planting dates; frost dates do. Inside zone 7a in West Virginia, the median last spring frost varies from April 7 to April 30. Look up your local frost dates and plant tender crops such as tomatoes after the 10%-risk last-frost date.

USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map · 843 ZIP codes · Data updated 2026-10-28

Quick answer

West Virginia spans USDA hardiness zones 5b–7a on the 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The most common zone is 7a, covering 49% of West Virginia's ZIP codes, followed by zone 6b (43%). Zone 7a means the coldest night of an average winter reaches 0°F to 5°F (−18°C to −15°C). Enter your ZIP code for your exact zone.

West Virginia hardiness zones by share of ZIP codes

Zone 5b<1% · 6 ZIPs

Zone 6a7% · 57 ZIPs

Zone 6b43% · 364 ZIPs

Zone 7a49% · 416 ZIPs

What the zones mean for West Virginia gardeners

Coldest and warmest towns: among towns with NOAA weather stations, Glady 1 N (2,840 ft) is in zone 5b, while Martinsburg 2 (460 ft) is in zone 7a. That is a difference of about 15°F in the coldest night of a typical winter.
Same zone, different frost dates: within zone 7a, the median last spring frost ranges from April 7 at London Locks to April 30 at Keyser 2 SSW, 23 days apart. Your zone tells you which perennials survive winter; your frost dates tell you when to plant.

Typical frost dates in each West Virginia zone

Medians across NOAA weather stations in each zone. Colder zones usually have later spring frosts, but local terrain can shift the dates by weeks.

Zone	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Stations
6a	May 6	October 10	17
6b	April 26	October 20	48
7a	April 21	October 26	32

Hardiness zones for West Virginia cities

Zones at the National Weather Service stations, mostly city airports, with their median frost dates.


Beckley Raleigh County Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,514	Apr 22	Oct 21
Bluefield Mercer County Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	2,870	Apr 21	Oct 22
Charleston Yeager Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	910	Apr 16	Oct 26
Clarksburg Benedum Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,203	Apr 18	Oct 24
Elkins 21 ENE	6a	−10°F to −5°F	3,390	May 7	Oct 7
Elkins Randolph County Airport	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,979	May 5	Oct 12
Huntington Tri State Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	824	Apr 14	Oct 26
Martinsburg E Wv Regional Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	534	Apr 20	Oct 22
Morgantown Hart Field	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,240	Apr 23	Oct 24
Parkersburg	6b	−5°F to 0°F	620	Apr 14	Oct 30
Parkersburg Wood County Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	831	Apr 23	Oct 22
Wheeling Ohio County Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,179	Apr 23	Oct 25

Hardiness zones for 98 towns in West Virginia

Each NOAA weather station is shown with the USDA zone of the nearest ZIP code (within 8 miles). Coldest night is the zone's range for the average annual extreme minimum temperature. Click a column to sort.

Filter by town


Alderson	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,552	Apr 26	Oct 17
Anstead Hawks Nest State Park	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,296	Apr 22	Oct 22
Athens	7a	0°F to 5°F	2,495	Apr 30	Oct 10
Bartow 1S	6a	−10°F to −5°F	3,025	May 9	Oct 5
Bayard	6a	−10°F to −5°F	2,412	May 13	Oct 3
Beckley Raleigh County Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,514	Apr 22	Oct 21
Beckley Va Hospital	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,330	May 6	Oct 10
Belington	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,769	May 6	Oct 13
Bluefield	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,870	Apr 30	Oct 15
Bluefield Mercer County Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	2,870	Apr 21	Oct 22
Bluestone Lake	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,390	Apr 10	Oct 30
Buckeye	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,123	May 3	Oct 14
Buckhannon	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,455	Apr 29	Oct 20
Burton	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,240	May 4	Oct 12
Cacapon St Park #2	7a	0°F to 5°F	958	Apr 23	Oct 21
Charleston WFO	7a	0°F to 5°F	918	Apr 23	Oct 20
Charleston Yeager Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	910	Apr 16	Oct 26
Clarksburg 1	6b	−5°F to 0°F	990	Apr 22	Oct 23
Clarksburg Benedum Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,203	Apr 18	Oct 24
Clendenin	7a	0°F to 5°F	700	Apr 21	Oct 28
Creston	6b	−5°F to 0°F	650	Apr 29	Oct 19
Davis 3SE	6a	−10°F to −5°F	3,715	May 9	Oct 10
Dunlow 1 SW	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,113	Apr 13	Oct 26
Elkhorn	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,948	Apr 24	Oct 17
Elkins 21 ENE	6a	−10°F to −5°F	3,390	May 7	Oct 7
Elkins Randolph County Airport	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,979	May 5	Oct 12
Fairmont	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,300	Apr 18	Oct 28
Franklin 2 NE	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,900	Apr 30	Oct 11
Frost 3NE	6a	−10°F to −5°F	2,905	May 10	Oct 5
Gassaway	6b	−5°F to 0°F	848	Apr 20	Oct 25
Glady 1 N	5b	−15°F to −10°F	2,840	May 15	Oct 3
Glenville	6b	−5°F to 0°F	738	Apr 25	Oct 24
Grantsville 1ESE	6b	−5°F to 0°F	706	Apr 26	Oct 20
Hacker Valley	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,582	May 7	Oct 10
Hamlin	7a	0°F to 5°F	680	Apr 23	Oct 21
Harrisville	6b	−5°F to 0°F	823	Apr 26	Oct 17
Hogsett Rc Byrd Dam	6b	−5°F to 0°F	570	Apr 18	Oct 29
Huntington Swg Pl	7a	0°F to 5°F	520	Apr 12	Oct 30
Huntington Tri State Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	824	Apr 14	Oct 26
Keyser 2 SSW	7a	0°F to 5°F	965	Apr 30	Oct 15
Kumbrabow	6a	−10°F to −5°F	3,235	May 7	Oct 6
Lake Lynn	6b	−5°F to 0°F	900	Apr 25	Oct 24
Lewisburg 3 N	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,300	May 3	Oct 9
Logan	7a	0°F to 5°F	672	Apr 8	Nov 2
London Locks	7a	0°F to 5°F	632	Apr 7	Nov 4
Lost River	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,690	May 3	Oct 12
Madison 3NNW	7a	0°F to 5°F	689	Apr 16	Oct 27
Mannington 8 WNW	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,100	May 3	Oct 10
Marlinton	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,150	May 11	Oct 6
Martinsburg 2	7a	0°F to 5°F	460	Apr 17	Oct 23
Martinsburg E Wv Regional Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	534	Apr 20	Oct 22
Middlebourne 3 ESE	6b	−5°F to 0°F	779	May 1	Oct 15
Moorefield 1 SSE	6b	−5°F to 0°F	890	Apr 29	Oct 15
Morgantown Hart Field	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,240	Apr 23	Oct 24
Morgantown L&d	6b	−5°F to 0°F	825	Apr 26	Oct 23
Moundsville	6b	−5°F to 0°F	620	Apr 26	Oct 21
Mount Nebo 1 S	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,953	May 5	Oct 7
Mullens 3 E	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,564	Apr 24	Oct 20
New Cumberland L/d	7a	0°F to 5°F	675	Apr 22	Oct 28
Oak Hill	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,040	Apr 21	Oct 19
Oceana 2 SE	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,320	Apr 22	Oct 24
Parkersburg	6b	−5°F to 0°F	620	Apr 14	Oct 30
Parkersburg Wood County Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	831	Apr 23	Oct 22
Parsons 3 SE	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,775	Apr 24	Oct 24
Pea Ridge Psd	7a	0°F to 5°F	584	Apr 8	Nov 1
Petersburg	7a	0°F to 5°F	960	Apr 23	Oct 20
Pickens 2 N	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,880	Apr 25	Oct 19
Pike Island(lock & Dam)	6b	−5°F to 0°F	640	Apr 18	Nov 1
Pineville	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,320	Apr 16	Oct 28
Rd Bailey Lake	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,277	Apr 15	Oct 27
Richwood 1SSE	6b	−5°F to 0°F	3,090	Apr 30	Oct 18
Ripley	6b	−5°F to 0°F	608	Apr 23	Oct 21
Rock Cave 2 NE	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,749	Apr 26	Oct 21
Romney 1 SW	7a	0°F to 5°F	720	Apr 26	Oct 18
Rosedale 3 NNW	6b	−5°F to 0°F	750	Apr 29	Oct 19
Rowlesburg 1	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,423	Apr 28	Oct 23
Rupert 4 N	6b	−5°F to 0°F	3,319	May 2	Oct 11
Saint Albans	7a	0°F to 5°F	646	Apr 18	Oct 26
Sandyville 9 NE	6b	−5°F to 0°F	668	May 1	Oct 14
Sissonville 1SW	7a	0°F to 5°F	632	Apr 29	Oct 16
Snowshoe	6a	−10°F to −5°F	4,847	May 12	Oct 7
Southside 3 NNW	6b	−5°F to 0°F	576	Apr 28	Oct 19
Spencer	6b	−5°F to 0°F	972	Apr 30	Oct 17
Stonewall Jackson Dam	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,045	Apr 26	Oct 23
Summersville Lake	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,768	Apr 27	Oct 19
Sutton Lake	6b	−5°F to 0°F	868	Apr 22	Oct 28
Terra Alta #1	6a	−10°F to −5°F	2,630	May 7	Oct 11
Tygart Dam	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,235	Apr 26	Oct 22
Union 3 SSE	6b	−5°F to 0°F	2,110	Apr 30	Oct 12
W Union 2	6b	−5°F to 0°F	806	Apr 28	Oct 21
Wardensville R M Farm	6b	−5°F to 0°F	960	May 6	Oct 12
Webster Springs 8 N	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,850	May 4	Oct 12
Weston	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,023	Apr 23	Oct 26
Wheeling	6b	−5°F to 0°F	645	Apr 20	Oct 29
Wheeling Ohio County Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	1,179	Apr 23	Oct 25
White Sulphur Springs	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,919	May 2	Oct 13
Williamson	7a	0°F to 5°F	760	Apr 8	Nov 2
Winfield Locks	7a	0°F to 5°F	621	Apr 18	Oct 30

Frequently asked questions

What hardiness zone is West Virginia?

West Virginia is in USDA hardiness zones 5b–7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Zone 7a is the most common, covering 49% of West Virginia's ZIP codes, and zone 6b covers 43%. Enter your ZIP code for your exact zone.

What does zone 7a mean?

Zone 7a means the average annual extreme minimum temperature, the coldest night of a typical winter, is 0°F to 5°F (−18°C to −15°C). Perennials, shrubs and trees rated for zone 7a or colder should survive winter there.

What is the coldest hardiness zone in West Virginia?

Zone 5b is the coldest zone mapped in West Virginia, found around Glady 1 N, and zone 7a is the warmest, found around Martinsburg 2.

Did West Virginia's hardiness zones change in 2023?

The USDA released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map in November 2023, based on 1991–2020 temperatures instead of 1976–2005. About half of the United States shifted half a zone warmer. Check your ZIP code here, because plant tags and older books may still list your 2012 zone.

When should I plant in zone 7a?

Hardiness zones don't set planting dates; frost dates do. Inside zone 7a in West Virginia, the median last spring frost varies from April 7 to April 30. Look up your local frost dates and plant tender crops such as tomatoes after the 10%-risk last-frost date.

Zone and frost dates: use both

Your hardiness zone answers one question: will this plant survive the winter here? Choose perennials, shrubs, trees and bulbs rated for your zone or a colder one. For vegetables and annuals, what matters is the length of the frost-free season. See West Virginia frost dates by town, or get a planting calendar for your ZIP code with start-indoors, transplant and sowing dates for 30 crops.

Sources and method

Zones are from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map ZIP-code files published by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, based on 1991–2020 minimum temperatures. ZIP codes are assigned to states by USPS prefix. Town zones use the ZIP code nearest each NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals station. This is an independent tool, not an official USDA site. Full methodology.