Clocks Springing Forward Countdown

U.S. daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. local time on the second Sunday of March, when clocks spring forward one hour — the rough one: the night is an hour shorter, and the evenings get an hour of extra light. This countdown automatically targets the next change.

How many days until Daylight Saving Time Begins?

Daylight Saving Time Begins is on Sunday, March 14, 2027, which is 226 days away. The live countdown above ticks down to the exact moment, to the second.

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Clocks Spring Forward's story so far

1916Germany and Austria-Hungary became the first nations to adopt daylight saving time, turning clocks forward on April 30, 1916 to conserve coal for the WWI war effort; Britain followed just three weeks later.

1918The US Congress passed the Standard Time Act on March 19, 1918, which both established the country's standard time zones and set the first federal daylight saving time, beginning March 31, 1918.

1919With the war over and the change deeply unpopular among early-rising farmers, Congress repealed federal daylight saving time in 1919, overriding President Wilson's veto.

1942-1945President Franklin Roosevelt reinstated daylight saving time year-round as a wartime measure called 'War Time,' running continuously from February 9, 1942 to September 30, 1945.

1966The Uniform Time Act of 1966 standardized the national schedule, requiring states that observed daylight saving time to begin it on the last Sunday in April, while still letting states opt out entirely.

1974Responding to the 1973 oil crisis, Congress and President Nixon put the country on year-round daylight saving time starting January 6, 1974, but dark winter mornings and safety concerns collapsed public support, and President Ford repealed it that October after only about eight months.

2005-2007The Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended daylight saving time by four weeks; the new schedule took effect in 2007, moving the start to the second Sunday in March, where it remains today.

Which way do the clocks go?

Spring forward: at 2 a.m. the clock jumps to 3 a.m., so you lose an hour of sleep — but sunset lands an hour later, kicking off the bright-evenings half of the year. Phones update themselves; the microwave does not.

A century of arguing about it

The U.S. first tried daylight saving in 1918, repealed it, brought it back in WWII as 'War Time,' and standardized it in 1966. Congress regularly debates making it permanent — the Senate even passed a bill in 2022 — but the twice-a-year ritual survives.

Quick facts

Clocks spring forward one hour at 2 a.m. local time, second Sunday of March
You LOSE an hour of sleep at this change
First tried in the U.S. in 1918; standardized by the Uniform Time Act of 1966
Hawaii and most of Arizona never change their clocks

Learn more

Wikipedia

Daylight Saving Time Begins — frequently asked questions

When is Daylight Saving Time Begins?

Daylight Saving Time Begins is on Sunday, March 14, 2027.

How many days until Daylight Saving Time Begins?

Daylight Saving Time Begins is on Sunday, March 14, 2027, which is 226 days away. The live countdown above ticks down to the exact moment, to the second.

Updated July 2026 · alarm-clock.org

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