The annual clocks change arrives overnight, with daylight saving time beginning Sunday, March 8, at 2 a. m. local time. Most Americans will lose an hour of sleep as the clock jumps ahead to 3 a. m., creating a 23-hour Sunday.
What time the Clocks Change — and what shifts
The switch happens at 2 a. m. local time on Sunday, the second Sunday in March, a schedule that has been in place since 2007. For those on the East Coast, that shift lands at 2 a. m. ET. The move pushes an hour of daylight from morning to evening — the familiar “spring forward. ”
- Time: 2 a. m. local time Sunday, March 8 (clocks jump to 3 a. m. )
- Day length: Sunday becomes a 23-hour day in most of the U. S.
- Example: In Boston, Saturday’s sunrise is 6: 09 a. m. with sunset at 5: 41 p. m.; after the clocks change on Sunday, sunrise moves to 7: 08 a. m. and sunset to 6: 42 p. m.
By design, the adjustment shifts usable light later in the day. The start of daylight saving time arrives before spring itself; the vernal equinox falls on March 20.
Who doesn’t switch and when you ‘fall back’
Two states don’t observe the change: Hawaii and Arizona, with an exception for the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. U. S. territories including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands also keep their clocks steady.
For most Americans, standard time returns on the first Sunday of November. This year that date is Nov. 1, when clocks shift back at 2 a. m. local time. Daylight saving time will be in effect for 238 days.
Debate over permanent daylight time
The twice-yearly shift remains unpopular with many people, and the discontent surfaces every March. At least 19 states have passed laws to stay on daylight saving time year-round if the federal government permits it. Supporters of permanent daylight time point to later sunsets; opponents warn about darker winter mornings.
The trade-offs are concrete. If daylight saving time were permanent, sunrise would be around 9 a. m. for a stretch in Detroit during winter. If the nation stayed on standard time year-round, the sun would be up as early as 4: 11 a. m. in Seattle in June.
Federal reviews have found modest effects from changing the schedule. After the start date moved to March in 2007, the Energy Department found electricity use fell by 0. 03%. Other assessments have noted minimal gains in areas such as energy conservation and safety, and the time shift has been associated with some negative health effects.
For now, the schedule holds: clocks move forward this weekend and back again on Nov. 1. Until then, evenings will stretch lighter as spring begins on March 20 and the longer days of summer approach.
