Daylight saving time will begin again for 2024 in March when we set our clocks forward and lose an extra hour of sleep.
The time adjustment affects the daily lives of hundreds of millions of Americans, prompting clock changes, contributing to less sleep in the days following and, of course, earlier sunsets.
Those disruptions may have contributed to public sentiment souring on the time change in recent years, but legislative moves to do away with daylight saving time have stalled in Congress.
What is Daylight Savings Time(DST)?
Daylight saving time is the practice of moving clocks forward by one hour during summer months so daylight lasts longer into the evening. Most of North America and Europe follow the custom, while the majority of countries elsewhere, especially those close to the equator, do not.
The practice has been controversial from the outset, with many countries having adopted and rejected it multiple times. Egypt announced in March it would reintroduce daylight saving time after a seven-year gap to rationalize energy use. Japan considered adopting the practice for the 2020 Olympics but rejected the proposal due to a lack of popular support and technical challenges.
Why does the time change to 2 a.m.?
Why exactly 2 a.m.? Michael Downing, the author of “Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time,” provided some historical context in an interview with Time Magazine. He explained that during the inception of DST, there were no train departures from New York City’s stations at 2 a.m. on Sundays. “This specific time was chosen to least disrupt the country’s train travel schedule,” Downing shared.
Which States Observe Daylight Savings Time?
| Alabama | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Kentucky | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Ohio | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Alaska | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Louisiana | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Oklahoma | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Arizona (northeast) | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Maine | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Oregon | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Arizona | No DST | Maryland | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Pennsylvania | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Arkansas | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Massachusetts | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Rhode Island | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| California | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Michigan | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | South Carolina | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Colorado | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Minnesota | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | South Dakota | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Connecticut | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Mississippi | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Tennessee | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Delaware | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Missouri | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Texas | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| District of Columbia | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Montana | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Utah | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Florida | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Nebraska | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Vermont | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Georgia | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Nevada | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Virginia | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Hawaii | No DST | New Hampshire | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Washington | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Idaho | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | New Jersey | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | West Virginia | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Illinois | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | New Mexico | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Wisconsin | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Indiana | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | New York | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | Wyoming | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
| Iowa | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | North Carolina | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | ||
| Kansas | 12 Mar – 5 Nov | North Dakota | 12 Mar – 5 Nov |
FAQs
When does Daylight saving time begin in 2024?
In 2024, daylight saving time will begin at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 10, and end for the year at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3.
When does Daylight Saving Time end permanently?
The push to stop changing clocks was put before Congress in the last couple of years, when the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022, a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent. Although the Sunshine Protection Act was passed unanimously by the Senate in 2022, it did not pass in the U.S. House of Representatives and was not signed into law by President Joe Biden.
How many time zones are there in the world?
There are 24 primary time zones in the world, corresponding to the 24 hours in a day. However, due to various geopolitical reasons, international date line adjustments, and regional preferences, the actual number of time zones worldwide is much higher. When considering all these factors, there are more than 38 distinct time zones in use.