2024 Daylight Saving Time
Daylight Saving Time, which is often incorrectly referred to as Daylight Savings Times, will occur from March 10 to November 3, 2024. On Sunday, March 10 when the clock strikes 2 A.M., we will “spring forward” to 3 A.M., losing an hour. On November 3, the clocks will “fall back” an hour. This time change allows for more daylight in the evening during warmer months (spring and summer) and more daylight in the morning during colder months (fall and winter). Standard Time is the time used from November to March (cold months), and Daylight Saving Time is the time used from March to November (warm months).
In 1916, Germany became the first nation to observe Daylight Saving Time because adding more daylight helped conserve energy for the war effort. Many other countries quickly followed behind Germany. The US’s Standard Time Act of 1918 was the first federal law to establish the time change. It was originally only meant to last for the remainder of World War I but continued beyond it.
Every US state and territory participates in Daylight Saving except for Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation), Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Many other countries also practice Daylight Savings including Canada, Greenland, Chile, and most of Europe.
Arizona cites their exceptionally warm weather as the reason for not participating in Daylight Saving Time. The average summer temperature in Arizona is 105° Fahrenheit. Arizona’s government finds it unnecessary to have more daylight during their warmest time of the year. However, the Navajo Nation, located in Northeastern Arizona does observe Daylight Saving Time. Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands do not participate because their close proximity to the equator does not change the amount of daylight they receive throughout the year.
There has always been plenty of opposition to Daylight Saving Time. Most recently, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a bill titled The Sunshine Protection Act, which makes Daylight Saving Time, the time we use from March to November, the new Standard Time and states can choose if they would like to change their clocks. The bill died in 2022 after passing through the Senate but never being brought to a vote in the House of Representatives. The same scenario was repeated when Rubio reintroduced the bill in 2023.
For now, the practice of changing the clocks twice a year remains in most of the US. On Sunday, March 10, remember to change your clocks and go to bed early because you will be losing an hour of sleep.
Sources
Peak Student Media 