When does daylight saving time start in 2024? When do we 'spring forward'?
It's that time of year when dark winter mornings and evenings can start to drag.
There's good news for those looking forward to brighter evenings: the start of daylight saving time is approaching. "Springing forward" for the start of daylight saving time means losing an hour of sleep, but the sun setting after 7 p.m. might be worth the tradeoff.
Here's what you need to know about daylight saving time in 2024.
When does daylight saving time start in 2024?
Daylight saving time starts at 2 a.m. on March 10.
In the spring, participating states turn clocks forward one hour on the second Sunday of March, causing us to "spring forward" and lose an hour of sleep.
When does daylight saving time end in 2024?
Clocks "fall back" Nov. 3. Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday of November each year.
Why do clocks change at 2 a.m. for daylight saving?
In an interview with Time Magazine, author Michael Downing cited his book, "Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time," to explain how Amtrak and railroads are the main reason clocks change at 2 a.m. for daylight saving time.
According to Downing, there were no trains leaving the station at 2 a.m. on Sundays in New York City in 1918, when the country first experimented with daylight saving time, making it a convenient hour for the time change.
Do we lose an hour of sleep when we spring forward?
Clocks are set one hour ahead at 2 a.m. If you are sleeping at that time, you will "lose" an hour of sleep.
How did daylight saving time start?
The Uniform Time Act established nationwide standards for the observance of daylight saving time when it was signed into law in 1966.
Prior to that, daylight saving time in the United States was not regulated by the federal government, which left municipalities, cities and states to decide when it started and ended, and whether or not to observe it.
According to the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education, this caused problems for several industries, including railroads, trucking and airlines. By the mid-20th century, the emerging broadcast television industry was finding it difficult to work within patchwork time zones and standards.
The dates we currently use to observe daylight saving time, starting on the second Sunday of March and ending on the first Sunday of November, were established in 2005 when Congress amended the act.
Which states don't observe daylight saving time?
Hawaii and parts of Arizona do not participate in daylight saving time. The Navajo Nation – which spans Arizona, Utah and New Mexico – does observe the time change, making it the lone participant in Arizona.
The territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands do not observe daylight saving time.
Dispatch Reporter Monroe Trombly and The Indy Star contributed to this report.
@Colebehr_report
Cbehrens@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: When does daylight saving time start in 2024? What to know
