Daylight Saving Time 2025 Begins Tonight: Here’s What to Know Before We Spring Forward

Daylight Saving Time 2025 Begins Tonight: Here’s What to Know Before We Spring Forward

Daylight saving time (DST) returns tonight, bringing the familiar ritual of moving clocks forward by one hour. Here’s everything you need to know about when it happens, how it works, and its impact.

What Time Does Daylight Saving Time Start?

The time change takes place at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, when clocks move forward to 3 a.m. This means we "lose" an hour of sleep but gain an extra hour of evening daylight.

How Does the Time Change Work?

In the spring, clocks spring forward by one hour. As a result, the sun sets later in the evening and rises later in the morning.
Most digital clocks—like those on smartphones—will adjust automatically. However, analog clocks and other manual timepieces will need to be reset.

What’s the Impact of Losing an Hour?

While we get more daylight in the evenings, the shift comes with downsides. Losing an hour of sleep can disrupt sleep schedules and has been linked to an increased risk of health issues, including strokes, heart attacks, and a rise in traffic accidents in the days immediately following the change.

When Does Daylight Saving Time End in 2025?

Daylight saving time will end on Sunday, November 2, when clocks will fall back one hour. After that, the sun will rise and set an hour earlier.

Who Observes Daylight Saving Time Around the World?

Outside the United States, DST is common in many European countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, according to the Pew Research Center.
DST is also observed in parts of Canada and Australia. In Africa, Egypt is the only country currently practicing daylight saving time.

Which U.S. States Don’t Observe DST?

Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time. In addition, U.S. territories such as:

American Samoa

Guam

Northern Mariana Islands

Puerto Rico

U.S. Virgin Islands
do not participate in the time change.

Who Came Up with Daylight Saving Time?

While Benjamin Franklin is often associated with the idea—thanks to a satirical essay he wrote in 1784—the modern concept of DST is credited to others.
George Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist, proposed a two-hour time shift in 1895 to give himself more daylight hours to collect insects.
Later, William Willett, a British builder, advocated for moving the clocks forward to make better use of daylight. In 1907, he published a pamphlet promoting the idea to save energy and encourage outdoor activity.
During World War I, Germany became the first country to officially implement daylight saving time in 1916 to conserve fuel. Other nations soon followed. The United States adopted DST in 1918.

Today, DST in the U.S. begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November—a schedule established under President George W. Bush.