I'm out here looking for advice on pruning these and found your thread. I have 3 Sweet Almond bushes and I am in zone 8b. Freezing is not a problem for this bush as it seems hardy even when we had some temps down in the teens. Humidity or lack of would be something I can't speak about since I am in a very humid area and have no problem growing these.
Now, back to my search of pruning advice.