Get ready for the time change! Here's when daylight saving time starts in 2024

Long, sunny evenings may feel years away, but with daylight saving time around the corner, those days are closer than you think.

Daylight saving time, which increases the hours of daylight during the evenings, starts in March. People in participating states will turn their clocks forward one hour, thus "springing forward" and losing an hour of sleep.

Here's what to know about the annual practice and why we observe it.

When is daylight saving 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.

Clocks "fall back" on Nov. 3. Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday of November each year.

Why do we lose an hour in March?

We spring forward, losing an hour, in March to add more hours of daylight in summer evenings.

Which states don't have daylight saving time?

Hawaii and parts of Arizona do not participate in daylight saving time. The Navajo Nation ‒ which spans across 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.

Why do we have daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time was introduced in the United States in 1918 with the Standard Time Act, which was meant to lower fuel costs during the First World War. The law also established a standard time and allowed the federal government to create five time zones.

The government stopped observing daylight saving time after World War I ended but reimplemented it during World War II. Congress decided to make daylight saving time permanent for two years from 1973 to 1975, extending the hours of daily sunlight year-round to conserve energy during the oil embargo crisis. However, the law was repealed in 1974 for being unpopular and ineffective.

In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, standardizing the length of daylight saving time. The dates we use to observe daylight saving time today ‒ starting on the second Sunday of March and ending on the first Sunday of November – were established in 2005 when Congress amended the Act.

According to the Department of Transportation, daylight saving time saves energy, prevents traffic injuries and reduces crime.

Is it daylight savings time or daylight saving time?

While it's common to hear "daylight savings" with an "s," the correct term is "daylight saving time," since the practice saves daylight.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When is daylight saving 2024? What to know about the time change