Eight straight nights of freezing here on Vancouver Island and two more predicted before we return to normal temps. Daytime temps have been in the 40f to 45f range (5c to 7c) with mainly sunny skies.
Here's the breakdown of overnight lows during this period, all of which occur near sunrise each morning.

OVERNIGHT LOWS (Lantzville)
Jan. 21 ~ 26.6f (-3.0c)
Jan. 22 ~ 25.3f (-3.7c) coldest night this winter
Jan. 23 ~ 26.1f (-3.3c)
Jan. 24 ~ 26.4f (-3.1c)
Jan. 25 ~ 26.1f (-3.3c)
Jan. 26 ~ 31.5f (0.27c)
Jan. 27 ~ 26.2f (-3.2c)
Jan. 28 ~ 25.9f (-3.4c)

Really looking forward to spring! 😉
Cheers, Barrie.

The map I looked at was from Natural Resources Canada and I have seen that map you just linked. That map looks more
accurate and that is the one I would use it because of the hills and exposed out. I remember around mid-late january places
like Bancroft had -30C and we were only -14C but head as far north to Madoc it was -26C and a place like Wooler that is
1 mile north of us was -20C. I do like the USDA map but I like the one you linked.

Our area is widely exposed on the north shore of lake ontario and just head a little north like 2 miles and you are in the real
bad cold.

The thing that keeps us more safer that we have hills to calm the cold but if we did not, We will be 2C or 3C colder. On those hills would be a zone 4 for sure and there is one 3 kilometers away from us and it was -24C in my yard and it went
up the hill and the thermometer was reading -31C. My yard would be a good zone 5a. Downtown Trenton might be 5b.
The zone 4 line on that map would be hitting Codrington, A small town I know of.

Yuccaman..

What a difference a few km's can make eh!

Hopefully we escape the rath of the extreme cold which is parked over the west..

Palmettoman Z6-Ajax, On

So far the coldest it has been -12.7c 9f in Dec and -12.9 9f last night. Considering Jan is our coldest month we could be in line for a zone 7a to 7b winter. Only one more month to find out.

John

That's right Palmettoman! if I need to plant some palms, I will just head a few kilometers south my house at the shore of Lake Ontario and overwinter!!! 😀

But the storms will pound it and right now we are seeing winds up to 107 km/h gusts and sustained at 72 km/h.

Yes yuccaman..the northeast shore of Lk Ontario is supposed to see the worst of the winds as the front passes...keep plenty of candles on hand!

Our winds here clocked around 90/100 gusts last night and this am..looks like we are in for a ride!

So far were looking at a Z7 and temps are supposed to be moderate through till mid Feb..

My outdoor covered palms are all looking okay.

The Lk Ontario shoreline is a good area to try hardy palms as long as you can block out those winds...

Palmettoman Z6-Ajax, On

Yes yuccaman..the northeast shore of Lk Ontario is supposed to see the worst of the winds as the front passes...keep plenty of candles on hand!

Our winds here clocked around 90/100 gusts last night and this am..looks like we are in for a ride!

So far were looking at a Z7 and temps are supposed to be moderate through till mid Feb..

My outdoor covered palms are all looking okay.

The Lk Ontario shoreline is a good area to try hardy palms as long as you can block out those winds...

Palmettoman Z6-Ajax, On

It's terrible here right now... I ust got back from a run and the temperature is -9C with hard wind gusts...
Here's hoping that we maintain our 'mild' winter! Personally I'd be happy if I maintained my zone 6a!
I wonder how the plams are doing under the snow??? Perhaps I'll get a chance to check after the next mild spell!

The worst seems over. It got down to -36*C/-32*F with windchills of about -51 in the downtown area and probably 2 degrees cooler here at home. Zone 3a it is.

I would like to thank those in the lower mainland that sacrificed themselves to the snow god so that we could have enough wind to blow the arctic weather out to the east a couple of days early.

Allen