When does Daylight Savings start 2025? When the clocks go forward in Illinois
Get ready, Illinois: We're just under two weeks away from more sunlight.
Daylight Saving Time in Illinois will begin at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9. While President Donald Trump has spoken about eliminating the practice, Illinois, like most states, continues to observe.
From when DST takes effect to exactly why the U.S. established it, here's what you need to know about "springing forward" this year.
In states that participate in Daylight Saving Time, clocks will turn forward one hour on the second Sunday of March. For 2025, that's March 9.
Clocks will spring forward at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9.
Illinois weather: Here's what two popular almanacs predict for spring 2025 weather in Illinois
Yes, Illinois does observe Daylight Saving Time.
State law gives individual states the option to exempt themselves from DST, and Illinois lawmakers have attempted to do in recent years. Illinois State Representative Brad Halbrook filed a bill in January, claiming the rationale for switching clocks was outdated.
Other lawmakers have been debating the idea as far back as 2019, when the Senate passed a bill approving daylight saving time as the year-round standard in Illinois. In 2021, some state representatives filed bills to move Illinois to standard time, while others filed bills to mandate DST all year. None of those bills passed into law.
We lose one hour of sleep when the clocks are turned ahead at 2 a.m. and Daylight Saving Time Begins, meaning the next day will likely leave many Americans sleepier than usual.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, all states except Hawaii and Arizona — with the exception of the Navajo Nation — observe Daylight Saving Time. The following U.S. territories also do not change their clocks: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 allows individual states to exempt themselves from DST without permission from the DOT. However, states can only opt out, meaning they cannot choose to observe permanent Daylight Saving Time.
Time zones and the length of DST are determined by the federal government and do not fall under state jurisdiction.
In December, President Donald Trump stated in a Truth Social post the Republican Party would intend to do away with DST once he took office. 'Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,' Trump wrote.
Similar to state discussions, there are currently no finalized plans to change DST. The U.S. Senate in 2022 approved the Sunshine Protection Act which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent for the entire year, but the measure was held back by the U.S. House of Representatives and not signed by former President Joe Biden.
Making DST permanent would require approval from Congress.
Daylight Saving Time originated as an effort to save fuel and energy during World War II, when DST was made permanent in the U.S. for the length of the war.
In 1974, President Richard Nixon signed a law to establish permanent DST again, with the idea it would conserve fuel. However, the legislation was short-lived, and Congress voted to switch back to standard time later that year. DST is now widely considered a way to make better use of daylight hours and save energy.
While changing the clocks at midnight might seem to make the most sense, we officially 'spring forward' at 2 a.m. because of railroad schedules during World War I. No trains were leaving New York City at 2 a.m. on Sundays, so the railroad industry made the decision to change the clocks at that time to avoid disrupting train travel.
For subscribers: How a central Illinois reverend helped shape American civil and voting rights
The spring equinox in Illinois takes place at 5:01 a.m. March 20. The time marks the moment when the planet is halfway between the summer and winter solstices.
Winter in Illinois began with the winter solstice on Dec. 21, 2024.
Daylight Saving Time will come to an end Nov. 2, the first Sunday of November, giving us back that extra hour of sleep.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Daylight Savings Time: First day of Spring forward, time change in Illinois
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