UNITED STATES — Daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 1, and most of the country will turn clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. local time. While 19 states have already passed laws to make daylight saving time permanent, none of those changes can take effect unless federal law changes first. For now, most Americans will continue switching their clocks twice a year.
Nineteen States Have Approved Permanent Daylight Saving Time Laws
The states that have passed permanent daylight saving time laws stretch across much of the country. In the West, they include Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, while Minnesota is the lone state on the list from the Upper Midwest.
Across the South, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida have all approved the change. In the Northeast, Maine and Delaware round out the group of 19 states looking to lock the clock in place.
Federal Law Must Change Before Any Permanent DST Can Take Effect
Under current federal law, states are allowed to stay on standard time year-round, but they cannot adopt permanent daylight saving time on their own. That means every state on the list is still waiting on Congress to act before its law can go into effect.
Some of these state laws also include conditions requiring neighboring states to make the same change. In Idaho and Oregon, the laws apply only to areas within the Pacific Time Zone, leaving parts of those states outside the proposed change.
Arizona and Hawaii Already Stay on Standard Time Year-Round
Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that already skip the twice-yearly time change by staying on standard time all year. Most of Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, though the Navajo Nation within the state does follow it.
Because standard time is permitted under federal law, these states do not need approval from Congress. Their setup will remain the same this weekend while the rest of the country falls back an hour.
Most of the Country Has No Permanent DST Law Currently in Place
States such as California, Nevada, New Mexico, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and North Carolina currently have no permanent daylight saving time law. Alaska and the rest of New England also remain without such legislation.
Residents across the country should set clocks back before bed Saturday night and expect earlier sunsets starting Sunday evening. The time change is also a good reminder to check smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries at home.
Stay with Banana Tree News Today for the latest weather updates and local forecast coverage.