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Central Daylight Time (CDT)

Also known as: Central Time (CT) and Central Standard Time (CST)

Time zone map of CDT
Currently observing CDT.
Areas with same time currently (UTC -5).
Currently observing CDT – Central Daylight Time.
Currently has same time zone offset as CDT (UTC -5) but different time zone name.

Central Daylight Time (CDT) is 5 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This time zone is a Daylight Saving Time time zone and is used in: North America.

See full time zone map

What Is Central Daylight Time?

Central Daylight Time (CDT) is the second easternmost time zone in the United States and is also used in Canada.

It covers all or parts of 20 states in the US and three provinces or territories in Canada.

About a third of the population in the USA live in the CDT time zone. It spans from northern Canada and south to Mexico.

In North America, Central Daylight Time shares a border with Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) in the east and with Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) in the west.

CDT or CST?

Central Daylight Time (CDT) is a North American time zone in use from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November during Daylight Saving Time (DST). Central Standard Time (CST) is used during the remainder of the year.

CDT Is the Central Time Zone

In everyday usage, CDT is often referred to as Central Time (CT) or the Central Time Zone. This can add a bit of confusion as the term Central Time does not differentiate between standard time and Daylight Saving Time, so Central Time switches between CST and CDT in areas that use DST during part of the year.

Most North American time zones also have generic terms, including Pacific Time (PT), Mountain Time (MT), Eastern Time (ET), and Atlantic Time (AT).

Converting Central Time to Other US Time Zones

Time Zone Converter: UTC to CDT

Where and When is CDT Observed?

North America

US states using CDT in the summer and CST in the winter:

  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Florida - North-West parts Show

    Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington counties and norther Gulf county

  • Illinois
  • Indiana - these few north-western counties near Chicago (Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton, Jasper, Starke) and these south-western counties in Indiana near Evansville Show

    Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Perry, Spencer

  • Iowa
  • Kansas - except these western counties Show

    Greeley, Hamilton, Sherman and Wallace - MST/MDT

  • Kentucky - Western part Show

    Adair, Allen, Ballard, Barren, Breckinridge, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Clinton, Crittenden, Cumberland, Daviess, Edmonson, Fulton, Graves, Grayson, Green, Hansock, Hart, Henderson, Hickman, Hopkins, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, McLean, Metcalfe, Monroe, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Russell, Simpson, Todd, Trigg, Union, Warren and Webster counties

  • Louisiana
  • Michigan - A few western counties Show

    Dickinson, Gogebic, Iron, and Menominee

  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Nebraska - Eastern parts Show

    All except Arthur, Banner, Box Butte, Chase, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Dundy, Garden, Grant, Hooker, Keith, Kimball, Morrill, Perkins, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux counties and the western part of Cherry county which are on MST/MDT

  • North Dakota - North and Eastern parts Show

    counties of Barnes, Benson, Bottineau, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Eddy, Emmons, Foster, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, Lamoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McLean, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill, Walsh, Ward, Wells, Williams and northern parts of McKenzie and Dunn, westernmost part of Morton and Fort Yates in Sioux

  • Oklahoma
  • South Dakota - Eastern parts Show

    counties of Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McCook, McPherson, Mellette, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Potter, Roberts, Spink, Sanborn, Sully, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Yankton, Walworth and eastern parts of Stanley

  • Tennessee - Western part Show

    counties of Bedford, Benton, Bledsoe, Cannon, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Clay, Coffee, Crockett, Cumberland, Davidson, Decatur, DeKalb, Dickson, Dyer, Fayette, Fentress, Franklin, Gibson, Giles, Grundy, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lake, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, McNairy, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Obion, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Sequatchie, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Tipton, Trusdale, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne Weakley, White, Willamson, Wilson

  • Texas - All, but a few counties in west Show

    El Paso and Hudspeth and part of Culberson

  • Wisconsin

Canadian provinces using CDT in the summer and CST in the winter:

Mexican states using CDT in the summer and CST in the winter:

Other Central Daylight Time Zones

Time zones can have similar names and abbreviations but have a different UTC offset:

Other Time Zones in UTC -5

Some time zones exist that have the same offset as CDT, but can be found under a different name:

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