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This is where we will “fall back”

This is where we will “fall back”

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There are just two weeks left until two crucial events in the American calendar: Election Day and the end of Daylight Saving Time.

The twice-yearly time change is set to end on Sunday, November 3, as the clocks affect millions of people, but not all Americans will “go back” an hour to allow for more daylight in the morning. The time change will not be reintroduced until March 2025, when daylight saving time begins again.

Even though the end of Daylight Saving Time in November brings with it an extra hour of sleep, the time change can still cause confusion and disruption to children's and pets' schedules.

Here's what you should know about the end of daylight saving time this year.

Biting or mild? View NOAA's 2024 winter weather forecast for where you live

When does daylight saving time end in 2024?

Daylight saving time ends for the year at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 3, when we “fall back” and gain an extra hour of sleep.

Next year it starts again on Sunday, March 9, 2025.

What is Daylight Saving Time?

Daylight saving time is the time between March and November when most Americans set their clocks ahead by one hour.

In November we gain an hour (instead of losing an hour in the spring) to have more daylight on winter mornings. As we “spring forward” in March, it’s all about adding more daylight in the evenings. In the Northern Hemisphere, the fall equinox is on Sunday, September 22nd, marking the start of the fall season.

When did daylight saving time start in 2024?

Daylight saving time began in 2024 at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 10, when our clocks moved forward one hour, part of the twice-yearly time change that affects most, but not all, Americans.

Is summer time ending?

The push to stop the time change was brought to Congress in recent years, when the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022, a bill to make daylight saving time permanent.

Although the Sunshine Protection Act passed unanimously in the Senate in 2022, it was not passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and President Joe Biden did not sign it.

A version of the law from 2023 also remained unsettled in Congress.

Does every state observe daylight saving time?

Not all states and US territories participate in Daylight Saving Time.

Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe Daylight Saving Time. Due to its desert climate, Arizona does not observe daylight saving time (with the exception of the Navajo Nation). After most of the United States passed the Uniform Time Act, the state concluded that there was no good reason to change clocks so that sunset was an hour later during the hottest months of the year.

There are also five other US territories that are not participating:

  • American Samoa
  • Guam
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Puerto Rico
  • US Virgin Islands

The Navajo Nation, located in parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, follows daylight saving time.

Hawaii is the other state that does not observe Daylight Saving Time. Due to its proximity to the equator, there is not much difference in daylight hours throughout the year.

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