In a few weeks, many U.S. states will transition their clocks as daylight saving time comes to an end for 2024.
On November 3, the first Sunday in November, most clocks will “fall back” one hour at 2 a.m., allowing people an extra hour of sleep. This change will result in earlier sunrises and darker evenings before 7 p.m. The next opportunity to adjust clocks will be in March 2025 when they will “spring forward” again.
Despite efforts in Congress to make daylight saving time permanent and eliminate the biannual clock changes, such legislation has not advanced significantly, meaning that Americans will continue to follow these time shifts in 2024 and next year.
Daylight saving time will conclude on Sunday, November 3, at 2 a.m.
The origins of daylight saving time trace back to World War I, when Germany first implemented it to conserve energy. The United States adopted this practice through the Standard Time Act of 1918, initially as a temporary measure during the war to reduce energy costs. This act also established the five time zones that are still in use today.
The Department of Transportation gained oversight of time zones and daylight saving time in 1966, leading to the Uniform Time Act that established a national standard for daylight saving time from the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. The most notable update came in 2005 when former President George Bush extended the observance to begin on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November.
Arizona and Hawaii do not participate in daylight saving time; federal law allows states to opt out and remain on standard time, but they cannot stay on daylight time.