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Daylight saving time, the yearly time change colloquially known as daylight savings, is set to start for 2026, meaning most Americans will lose an hour of sleep when they “spring forward” this weekend. For nearly 20 years, the annual ritual of moving clocks an hour ahead has taken place on the second Sunday of March.
What is daylight saving time, exactly?
By shifting clocks forward an hour, daylight saving time effectively moves an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.
For example, on Saturday, the day before the time change takes effect, sunrise in Boston will be at 6:09 a.m. and sunset at 5:41 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. On Sunday, after the clocks change, the sun will rise at 7:08 a.m. and set at 6:42 p.m.
What day and time does daylight saving time start for March 2026?
This year, daylight saving time starts on Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m. local time.
The start date has been on the second Sunday of March since 2007, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the official source of time for the Defense Department.
For the two decades preceding 2007, daylight saving time began on the first Sunday of April. Before 1987, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 set the start date as the last Sunday of April.
During the energy crisis of the 1970s, Congress decided to try year-round daylight saving time, beginning on the first Sunday of January in 1974, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The experiment didn’t last the full year, with the country going back to standard time that October and then resuming daylight saving time on the last Sunday of February in 1975. After 1975, the start date went back to April.
Do we lose or gain an hour for daylight saving time in March?
Most of the U.S. will lose an hour Sunday from the changing of the clocks — at 2 a.m. the time jumps ahead to 3 a.m.
We “spring forward” ahead of the actual beginning of spring, which comes with the vernal equinox on March 20.
When will daylight saving time end for 2026?
Most Americans will “fall back” to standard time at 2 a.m. local time on the first Sunday of November, which this year is on Nov. 1. By then, the country will be nearly six weeks into fall after the autumnal equinox on Sept. 22.
Daylight saving time will be in effect for 238 days, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a government agency that provides the official time for the U.S.
Why do we have daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time was first adopted in the U.S. in 1918 in an effort to conserve fuel during World War I, according to the Congressional Research Service. It was used during World War II for the same reason and to “promote national security and defense,” according to the Defense Department.
The annual time change has been in effect consistently since the ’60s, but it hasn’t been found to be a significant source of decreasing energy consumption. In 1974, the Transportation Department found it had minimal benefits when it came to energy conservation, traffic safety and reducing violent crime, according to the Congressional Research Service.
After daylight saving time’s start date was moved up in 2007, the Energy Department found electricity consumption fell by 0.03%. The time shift has also been associated with some negative health effects.
Which states don’t do daylight saving time?
Only two states don’t observe daylight saving time: Hawaii and Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Nation in the northeast part of the Grand Canyon State.
The territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also don’t change their clocks.
Will my phone change time for daylight saving automatically?
Phones should update with the time change on their own if they’re set to update automatically.
Apple, Google and Samsung have support pages for people who need help changing the time on their devices, and carriers like Straight Talk and Tracfone have instructions for Motorola users.
