USA & Canada Start DST on March 12
By Anne Buckle. Published 17-Feb-2017
Most of the United States, Canada, and Mexico's northern border cities will begin Daylight Saving Time (DST) on Sunday, March 12, 2017.
US & Canada DST Map: The striped areas start DST on Sunday, March 12, 2017.
©timeanddate.com
People in areas that observe DST will spring forward 1 hour from 02:00 (2 am) to 03:00 (3 am), local time.
Standard time will resume on Sunday, November 5, 2017.
Brighter Afternoons
In local time, sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later than the day before resulting in more daylight in the afternoon.
Most of the US Uses DST
Almost all of the United States observe DST. Hawaii and most of Arizona are the only 2 US states that do not change their clocks.
None of the US dependencies observe DST. This includes American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the US Minor Outlying Islands, and the US Virgin Islands
DST in Canada
In Canada, DST begins at the same time as in the US.
Areas that don't use DST include most of Saskatchewan, some locations in Québec east of 63° westerly longitude (e.g. Blanc-Sablon), Southampton Island, and some areas in British Columbia.
Time Zone Converter: Find the time in another country
US Bills to Abolish DST
Bills to abolish the yearly time change permanently have been proposed in more than 10 US states this year.
From experience, these bills don't normally make it all the way to the state Senate, and they are usually voted down at some point in the legislative process.
Mexico DST Divided
A few northern Mexican border towns, such as Tijuana and Juarez City (Ciudad Juárez), start DST on March 12 along with the US and Canada.
However, most of Mexico starts DST on Sunday, April 2, 2017. A few Mexican cities, like Hermosillo and Cancun, do not observe DST at all.
Other areas starting DST on March 12 are Cuba, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Thule Air Base in Greenland.
Set Clocks Back or Ahead?
To remember which way to set your watch, keep in mind one of these sayings: “spring forward, fall back” or “spring ahead, fall behind.” The clocks spring ahead (= losing 1 hour) in the spring when DST starts and fall behind 1 hour (= gaining 1 hour) when DST ends in the fall.