When does daylight saving time begin in 2025? How it started and why Trump wants to end it
Punxsutawney Phil and Bee Cave Bob both saw their shadows on Sunday, which means winter isn't over quite yet — though the "weatherologist" experts in Bee Cave have predicted Texas will only see three more weeks of winter instead of six.
Either way, more than a few Texans are eager for spring to arrive after unusually large amounts of snow blanketed parts of the state last month. And although daylight saving time begins several days prior to the first official day of spring, it marks a distinct shift in scenery during the morning hours.
When is daylight saving time this year, why do we have it and will it go away soon? Here's everything to know about the time change.
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Daylight saving time is set to begin on Sunday, March 9, 2025. In the early hours, time will jump forward by one hour from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. This marks the shift to local Daylight Saving Time (DST).
Many devices, such as phones and computers, will automatically change to DST, but non-smart devices, such as microwaves and some car radios, as well as any clock with hands, will likely need to be changed manually.
The end of daylight saving time means there will be more light in the morning and it will get dark earlier in the evening. Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour earlier on Sunday, Nov. 3, than they were on Saturday, Nov. 2.
For most Americans, except those in Arizona, Hawaii, and a handful of other places, the end of daylight saving time means an extra hour of sleep on Nov. 5. It also helps the country accommodate for more daylight in the mornings in preparation for winter.
Daylight saving time (DST) claims a variety of other names: daylight savings time, daylight time, summer time (not to be confused with summertime). It refers to the practice of setting clocks forward by one hour during the warmer months of the year and then setting them back one hour in the fall.
One way to remember the pattern: "spring forward, fall back."
The idea dates back to World War I, although some credit Benjamin Franklin for daylight saving time due to a satirical letter he wrote in 1784 stating: "Every morning, as soon as the sun rises, let all the bells in every church be set ringing: and if that is not sufficient, let cannon be fired in every street to wake the sluggards effectually."
To maximize resources for the war, Germany and Austria implemented the first daylight saving time in 1916. The U.S. did the same in 1918. An outdated idea, some argue.
The general idea of daylight saving time is to maximize the use of natural daylight, according to the Almanac. This always occurs around the summer months. As the earth moves around the sun and is tilted on its axis, certain parts of the world experience longer days during certain months. For those in the northern hemisphere, like the U.S., these longer days run from March to November, with June to August seeing the longest days.
For those in the southern hemisphere, such as Australia, the seasons are reversed: June through August mark winter months and are, therefore, the shortest of the year.
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In recent years, Congress has faced the opportunity to stop changing clocks. In 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent, however the U.S. House of Representatives did not pass it and President Joe Biden did not sign it.
In December, then-President-elect Donald Trump said he aims to put an end to daylight saving time and make standard time year-round.
"The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't!" Trump wrote on social media site Truth Social. "Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation."
Winter officially ends with the first day of spring on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
The longest day of 2025, also known as the summer solstice, is Friday, June 20. Central Texas will get around 14 hours of daylight.
On the flip side, 2025's winter solstice — the shortest day of the year — is Sunday, Dec. 21. Austin will see just over 10 hours of daylight.
The Earth is tilted approximately 23.5 degrees on its axis, and each solstice is dictated by the amount of solar declination, or "the latitude of Earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon," according to National Geographic.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: When does daylight saving time start? Here's when time changes in 2025
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