WHAT IS DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME?

• Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of moving the clocks forward one hour from Standard Time during the summer months, and changing them back again in the fall. The general idea is that this allows us all to make better use of natural daylight. However, DST has many detractors—and rightfully so.

WHEN IS DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME THIS YEAR? WHEN DOES THE TIME CHANGE?

• To remember which way to set their clocks, folks often use the expression, “Spring forward, fall back.” Note that these dates are for locations in the United States and Canada only; other countries may follow different dates.
• Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 14, 2021, at 2:00 A.M. On Saturday night, set your clocks forward one hour (i.e., losing one hour) to “spring ahead.”
• Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 7, 2021, at 2:00 A.M. On Saturday night, set your clocks back one hour (i.e., gaining one hour) to “fall back.”
• Note: Since the time changes at 2:00 A.M., we generally change our clocks before bed on Saturday.

• Note: In the U.S., exceptions to DST are Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation), Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

FUN FACT: IS IT DAYLIGHT “SAVING” OR “SAVINGS” TIME?

The correct term is “Daylight Saving Time“ and not “Daylight Savings Time” (with an extra “s”), though many of us are guilty of saying it the wrong way. The technical explanation is that the word “saving” is singular because it acts as part of an adjective rather than a verb.

Learn more about the history of “DST” here!