Current:Home > reviewsDo all Americans observe daylight saving time? Why some states and territories don't. -Capitatum
Do all Americans observe daylight saving time? Why some states and territories don't.
Fastexy View
Date:2025-04-07 04:55:03
Millions of Americans will wake up feeling more refreshed on Sunday thanks to an extra hour of sleep gained from the ending of daylight saving time.
But the twice-annual time change observance, which begins in March and ends in November, is not observed in all U.S. states and territories.
The time change is meant to allow for more daylight in the mornings during the fall and winter and more daylight in the evenings during the spring and summer, as the Northern Hemisphere tilts either toward or farther away from the sun.
Here's what to know about the U.S. states and territories that do not observe daylight saving time.
Video:Watch the top astronomy events for November 2024
Does every state observe daylight saving time?
Not all states and U.S. territories participate in the time change.
If a state chooses to observe daylight saving time, it must begin and end on federally mandated dates, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Under the Uniform Time Act, which was established in 1966, states can exempt themselves from observing daylight saving time.
Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time. Because of its desert climate, Arizona doesn't follow daylight saving time (with the exception of the Navajo Nation). After most of the U.S. adopted the Uniform Time Act, the state figured that there wasn't a good reason to adjust clocks to make sunset occur an hour later during the hottest months of the year.
There are also five other U.S. territories that do not participate:
- American Samoa
- Guam
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Puerto Rico
- U.S. Virgin Islands
The Navajo Nation, located in parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, does follow daylight saving time.
Hawaii is the other state that does not observe daylight saving time. Because of the state's proximity to the equator, there is not a lot of variance between hours of daylight during the year.
When does daylight saving time end in 2024?
Daylight saving time will end for the year at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 3, when we "fall back" and gain an extra hour of sleep.
Next year, it will begin again on Sunday, March 9, 2025.
What is daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time is the time between March and November when most Americans adjust their clocks ahead by one hour.
We gain an hour in November (as opposed to losing an hour in the spring) to make for more daylight in the winter mornings. When we "spring forward" in March, it's to add more daylight in the evenings. In the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox is Sunday, Sept. 22, marking the start of the fall season.
Is daylight saving time ending?
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 to make daylight saving time permanent.
Although the Sunshine Protection Act was passed unanimously by the Senate in 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives did not pass it and President Joe Biden did not sign it.
A 2023 version of the act remained idle in Congress, as well.
In a news release Monday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio made another push in support of making daylight saving time permanent.
The senator suggested the nation "stop enduring the ridiculous and antiquated practice of switching our clocks back and forth. Let’s finally pass my Sunshine Protection Act and end the need to ‘fall back’ and ‘spring forward’ for good."
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY.
veryGood! (2997)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Veterans Day restaurant deals 2024: More than 80 discounts, including free meals
- Disney x Lululemon Limited-Edition Collection: Shop Before It Sells Out
- Wall Street makes wagers on the likely winners and losers in a second Trump term
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- NFL Week 10 winners, losers: Cowboys' season can no longer be saved
- Brittany Cartwright Defends Hooking Up With Jax Taylor's Friend Amid Their Divorce
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
Ranking
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- New wildfires burn in US Northeast while bigger blazes rage out West
- Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Taylor Swift's Dad Scott Swift Photobombs Couples Pic With Travis Kelce
- Katharine Hayhoe’s Post-Election Advice: Fight Fear, Embrace Hope and Work Together
- Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson weighs in on report that he would 'pee in a bottle' on set
Recommendation
A steeplechase record at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then a proposal. (He said yes.)
Kyle Richards Shares an Amazing Bottega Dupe From Amazon Along With Her Favorite Fall Trends
Eminem, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, N.W.A. and Janet Jackson get Songwriters Hall of Fame nods
Jack Del Rio leaving Wisconsin’s staff after arrest on charge of operating vehicle while intoxicated
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Harriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony
Wicked's Ethan Slater Shares How Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Set the Tone on Set
All Social Security retirees should do this by Nov. 20