As winter approaches, the days are definitely getting shorter and temperatures are cooling down. One significant event on the horizon is the shift to standard time, a practice many in the U.S. associate with some controversy.
If it feels like the clocks are changing sooner than usual, that’s actually spot on. More on that later.
We’ve been on daylight saving time since March 9, when we lost an hour of sleep by moving our clocks forward. Yet, the benefit was longer evenings, letting me savor the spring and summer daylight a bit more.
Now, this transition will culminate on Sunday, November 2, when we roll the clocks back an hour. It’s a chance to enjoy a bit more sleep and maybe even relish Halloween weekend, though if you’re in Arizona or Hawaii, you’re off the hook.
Switching back to standard time isn’t all doom and gloom. Yes, it means darker evenings, but many health experts suggest that standard time is actually healthier overall, thanks to earlier sunrises and sunsets.
That said, the clock change can still be a hassle for many. There’s been chatter among lawmakers, with several bills introduced across the country to stop these biannual adjustments, but not many have made it through. Hawaii and Arizona remain the exceptions, staying on their own schedule come November 2.
On that note regarding November 2, it’s the second earliest date for ending daylight saving time; the changes always land on the first Sunday of the month. Interestingly, if the U.S. doesn’t find a way to put an end to this seasonal dance with the clocks, daylight saving time will stick around at least until 2026.
Looking down the calendar, daylight saving time will kick off again next Sunday, March 8. We reach for the clocks on the second Sunday in March each year, making it the earliest this transition can occur.
