Daylight saving time 2026 begins soon. Here are the details about when the time changes and other important information
Daylight saving time, often known as the yearly time shift, is planned to begin in 2026, which means most Americans will lose an hour of sleep as they “spring forward” this weekend. For nearly two decades, the second Sunday of March has seen the annual ritual of shifting clocks an hour forward.
What is the exact definition of daylight saving time?
By moving the clocks forward an hour, daylight saving time essentially shifts one hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.
According to the National Weather Service, sunrise in Boston on Saturday, the day before the time change, will be at 6:09 a.m. and sunset at 5:41 p.m. On Sunday, once the clocks are changed, the sun will rise at 7:08 a.m. and set at 6:42 p.m.
What day and time does daylight saving time begin in March 2026?
This year, daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m. local time.
Since 2007, the commencement date has been set for the second Sunday of March, according to the United States Naval Observatory, the Defense Department’s official timekeeper.
For the two decades prior to 2007, daylight saving time began on the first Sunday in April. Before 1987, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 established the start date as the final Sunday of April.
According to the Congressional Research Service, during the 1970s energy crisis, Congress chose to experiment with year-round daylight saving time, which began on the first Sunday of January 1974.
The experiment did not continue a full year, as the country returned to standard time in October and then resumed daylight saving time on the final Sunday of February in 1975. After 1975, the commencement date was moved back to April.
Do we lose or gain an hour of daylight saving time in March?
The majority of the United States will lose one hour on Sunday due to the clock change, which occurs at 2 a.m. and lasts until 3 a.m.
We “spring forward” ahead of the vernal equinox on March 20, which marks the beginning of spring.
When will daylight saving time stop in 2026?
Local time on the first Sunday of November, which this year falls on November 1. The country will be nearly six weeks into fall after the autumnal equinox on September 22.
Daylight saving time will be in force for 238 days, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a government institution that sets the official time in the United States.
Why do we have Daylight Saving Time?
Daylight saving time was initially implemented in the United States in 1918 to preserve gasoline during World War I, according to the Congressional Research Service. It was employed for the same purpose during World War II, as well as to “promote national security and defense,” according to the Defense Department.
The annual time change has been in force since the 1960s, although it has not been shown to be a substantial source of reduced energy usage. According to the Congressional Research Service, the Transportation Department determined in 1974 that it had modest benefits in terms of energy conservation, traffic safety, and violent crime reduction.
The Energy Department discovered that after daylight saving time began earlier in 2007, electricity consumption decreased by 0.03%. The time shift has also been linked to certain detrimental health consequences.
Which states don’t observe daylight saving time?
Only two states, Hawaii and Arizona, do not follow daylight saving time, with the exception of the Navajo Nation in the Grand Canyon State’s northeast.
American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands do not alter their clocks.
Will my phone automatically alter the time for daylight saving?
If your phone is set to update automatical
ly, it should update itself with the time change.