Location almanac
Chill hours in R8A
The short answer
R8A averages 722 chill hours per winter (478–1,061 across 10 years) in USDA zone 4a.
Climate profile
| Average chill hours | 722 (478–1,061 across 10 winters) |
|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | 4a (NRCan zone 2b) |
| Last spring frost | typically May 6 – May 30 |
| First fall frost | typically September 21 – October 20 |
Computed from 10 winters of ERA5 hourly temperature (Open-Meteo, 2015–2025); zones from USDA PHZM 2023 / NRCan 1981–2010. Data updated July 3, 2026. See methodology.
What grows here
Every variety in our database, checked against R8A’s chill hours and zone:
Good fit (88)
Chill and zone requirements are comfortably met in R8A.
| Variety | Fruit |
|---|---|
| Acey Mac | Apple |
| Arkansas Black | Apple |
| Chestnut Crab | Apple |
| CrimsonCrisp | Apple |
| Earligold | Apple |
| First Kiss | Apple |
| Frostbite | Apple |
| Fuji | Apple |
| Gala | Apple |
| Ginger Gold | Apple |
| GoldRush | Apple |
| Golden Delicious | Apple |
| Golden Supreme | Apple |
| Gravenstein | Apple |
| Honeygold | Apple |
| Idared | Apple |
| Jonagold | Apple |
| Jonamac | Apple |
| Jonathan | Apple |
| Lodi | Apple |
| Northern Spy | Apple |
| Paula Red | Apple |
| Prima | Apple |
| Red Delicious | Apple |
| SnowSweet | Apple |
| Suncrisp | Apple |
| Sweet Sixteen | Apple |
| Topaz | Apple |
| TropicSweet | Apple |
| Zestar | Apple |
Show 58 more good fit varieties
- Harcot
- Moongold
- Sungold
- Tomcot
- Arctic Star
- Double Delight
- Fantasia
- Flavortop
- Independence
- Panamint
- Snow Queen
- August Pride
- Babcock
- Donut
- Eva's Pride
- Flordacrest
- Flordaprince
- Frost
- Gulfprince
- Junegold
- Mid-Pride
- Suncrest
- Tropic Snow
- TropicBeauty
- UFGold
- UFOne
- UFSun
- 20th Century
- Chojuro
- Kieffer
- Luscious
- Moonglow
- Parker
- Patten
- Shinko
- Summercrisp
- Warren
- Yoinashi
- Hachiya
- Alderman
- Beauty
- Elephant Heart
- Flavor Grenade
- Flavor King
- Flavor Supreme
- Green Gage
- Santa Rosa
- Satsuma
- Superior
- Brooks
- Craig's Crimson
- Van
- Balaton
- Early Richmond
- English Morello
- Evans Bali
- Montmorency
- North Star
Marginal (32)
Possible in a good year or a favorable microclimate — click through for the caveats.
| Variety | Fruit |
|---|---|
| Akane | Apple |
| Cortland | Apple |
| Cox's Orange Pippin | Apple |
| Empire | Apple |
| Haralson | Apple |
| Honeycrisp | Apple |
| Liberty | Apple |
| Spartan | Apple |
| Wealthy | Apple |
| Yellow Transparent | Apple |
| Goldcot | Apricot |
| Harko | Nectarine |
| Mericrest | Nectarine |
| Belle of Georgia | Peach |
| Contender | Peach |
| Cresthaven | Peach |
| Elberta | Peach |
| Flameprince | Peach |
| Harvester | Peach |
| Loring | Peach |
| O'Henry | Peach |
| Redglobe | Peach |
| Redskin | Peach |
| Reliance | Peach |
| D'Anjou | Pear |
| Harrow Delight | Pear |
| Blue Damson | Plum |
| French Improved Prune | Plum |
| Italian Prune | Plum |
| Stanley | Plum |
Plan the year in zone 4
Questions
- How many chill hours does R8A get?
- R8A averages 722 chill hours per winter, ranging from 478 to 1061 across the last 10 years.
- What hardiness zone is R8A?
- R8A is in USDA hardiness zone 4a.
Growing fruit trees in R8A? Get a care calendar anchored to this exact climate, with email reminders.
Start My OrchardSources
- [1] Open-Meteo / Copernicus ERA5. Historical Weather API (hourly 2m temperature) — accessed July 2026
- [2] Natural Resources Canada. Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada — accessed July 2026