 While the climate for much of the state is humid subtropical, South Florida qualifies as one of several tropical classifications (Köppen Aw, Am, or Af).Southeastern Florida falls into USDA zone 10b to 11b for plant hardiness, where annual extreme low temperatures range from , versus zone 9 in Central Florida, and zone 8 in northern Florida.With global warming, the urban heat island effect, as well as Biscayne Bay as a buffer, the waterside downtown area and the barrier islands including Miami Beach made it into hardiness zone 11a by 2012.