When is fall time change? Why clocks go back Sunday

Editor’s note: Due to a technical glitch this story published a day earlier than scheduled. It has been updated with the correct information.

Daylight saving time officially ends this weekend, as most states across the U.S. prepare to fall back an hour.

Here’s when daylight saving time ends, why clocks fall back, the Sunshine Protection Act and more.

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Here’s what you need to know:

When does 2024 daylight savings time change fall back in the U.S.?

States participating in daylight saving time turn their clocks back when it officially ends on the first Sunday of November every year.

Daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday of March, when we turn our clocks forward an hour.

When do the clocks fall back for 2024 time change?

Our clocks will fall back at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.

Why does time change at 2 a.m. for daylight savings time?

Author Michael Downing cited his book, “Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time,“ in an interview with Time Magazine, explaining Amtrak and the railroads were the main reason clocks change at 2 a.m. for DST.

When DST was being established, There were no trains leaving the station at 2 a.m. on Sundays in New York City when Daylight Saving Time was being born.

According to Downing, “Sunday morning at 2 a.m. was when they would interrupt the least amount of train travel around the country.”

Will we gain or lose an hour when DST ends?

When daylight saving time ends, we will set our clocks back an hour, meaning we will gain an hour of sleep. We lose an hour when daylight saving time begins in the spring when we move our clocks forward.

To help remember which is which, some say “When it comes to daylight saving time, we spring forward and then we fall back.”

Does Indiana observe daylight savings time? Do clocks fall back in 2024?

Yes; Indiana observes daylight saving time.

Hawaii and parts of Arizona do not participate in daylight saving time. The territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also do not participate.

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Which U.S. states don’t change clocks for daylight savings time?

As of July 25, 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation noted that only Hawaii and parts of Arizona do not participate in daylight saving time. The Navajo Nation is the lone exception in Arizona.

The territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also do not participate.

According to the website, states may exempt themselves from observing daylight saving time by state law in accordance with the Uniform Time Act, as amended.

Why is daylight saving a thing? What is it?

The goal of daylight saving time is to ensure more daylight hours in a day for a number of reasons, but primarily to save energy. There have also been arguments that having more daylight hours benefits public safety and health.

Daylight saving time was first introduced in the U.S. in 1918 during World War I and it was known as “war time.” It was then abandoned after the war as there was no financial need to continue it at the time.

Daylight saving time as we know it today began in the U.S. with the Uniform Time Act of 1966, only it started on the last Sunday of April and ended on the last Sunday of October.

In 2005 it was shifted to begin on the second Sunday of March and first Sunday of November, like it is today. A Department of Energy study found the extra four weeks of daylight saving time saved around 0.5% in total electricity daily in the U.S., equaling energy savings of 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours annually.

What is the Sunshine Protection Act?

The Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, which was created to make daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time, was unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate in 2022 but it was not passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

There is currently no news on when it will be readdressed and then signed into law.

When will DST end permanently? When is the U.S. getting rid of daylight savings time?

Despite the Sunshine Protection Act being unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate in 2022, there is no permanent end in sight.

When does 2025 daylight saving time spring forward start, DST fall back end?

Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 9, and ends on Nov. 2 in 2025.

Chris Sims is a digital content producer at Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims. Katie Wiseman is a trending news reporter at IndyStar. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman.