Most Americans will set their clocks forward this weekend daylight saving time Beginning in 2026, it marks an annual shift to longer daylight hours at night but one hour less sleep.
According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the official timekeeping agency of the Department of Defense, the time change will take effect at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 8, when clocks in most of the United States will advance one hour.
What happens when daylight saving time starts?
When daylight saving time begins, clocks move forward one hour, so 2 am becomes 3 am. As a result, most Americans actually lose an hour of sleep.
This transition moves the daylight hour from morning to evening. For example, according to Boston’s rules, change the sunrise time for the previous day to 6:09 AM and the sunset time to 5:41 PM. National Weather Service. Following the time change, sunrise will move to 7:08 a.m. and sunset will be pushed to 6:42 p.m.
The clock change occurs just before spring, which begins with the vernal equinox on March 20.
Why does daylight saving time exist?
Daylight saving time was first adopted in the United States in 1918 during World War I as a way to save fuel. This policy was later Second World War For similar reasons, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The modern framework comes largely from the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which standardized time rules across the country. Since 2007, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March.
Daylight saving time ends in 2026
Daylight saving time will last most of the year before reverting back to standard time on November 1, 2026 (the first Sunday in November), when Americans will “roll back” and add an hour.
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, daylight saving time will last 238 days in 2026.
Also read: U.S. lawmakers are again advancing legislation to make daylight saving time permanent — what to know
Which places do not observe time changes?
Not all areas of the United States observe Daylight Saving Time. Hawaii and much of Arizona do not change their clocks, although the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, does follow the shift.
Some U.S. territories also don’t observe daylight saving time. These include Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
