It’s almost time to change the clocks, but when — and what to? Daylight saving time — designed to create more hours of sunlight — is about to mean a time change in March. However, whether you need to change your clocks depends on where you live. So when should we set our clocks back?
If you do have to “spring forward” your clock, it will mean an hour less of sleep. Here’s why — and whether you’ll need to.
When Do The Clocks Change In The U.S. And Canada?
Should you change your clocks on Saturday night or Sunday night? The 48 U.S. states and all of Canada’s provinces and territories where Daylight Saving Time is observed will need to set clocks forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, 2025. In the U.S., this doesn’t apply to Hawaii and Arizona, except for the Navajo Nation, which adheres to DST. In Canada, DST is not observed in parts of British Columbia, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan, according to World Atlas.
When Do The Clocks Change In The U.K. And Europe?
In the U.K. the clocks go forward one hour at 1:00 a.m. on the last Sunday in March (Sunday, March 30, 2025) to British Summer Time (BST), according to the U.K. government, and back one hour at 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday in October to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) (Sunday, October 26, 2025). The same applies to most European countries, except Iceland, Belarus and Russia, according to Timeanddate.
Why We Have Daylight Savings Time — And What Will Happen To It
Daylight Saving Time is used in over 70 countries, according to timeanddate.com. Introduced initially to conserve energy, it increases the hours of daylight and creates longer summer evenings but disrupts circadian rhythms, with health risks debated including social jet lag, depression and fatigue.
President Donald Trump said on social media in December, “Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient and very costly to our Nation.” However, disagreements exist over whether to stay permanently on Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time. Currently, 20 states have passed legislation or resolutions for permanent DST, but approval from Congress is required.
When Does Spring 2025 Start And End?
That depends on what you mean. Meteorological spring begins on March 1 and ends on May 31, so weather forecasters favor those dates. However, astronomical spring — as determined by Earth’s journey around the sun and its tilted axis (which together cause seasons) — begins on the vernal equinox date and ends on the summer solstice. This year, that’s March 20-June 21.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
