USA & Canada Start DST on March 11, 2018
By Anne Buckle. Published 5-Mar-2018
Most of the United States, Canada, and Mexico's northern border cities start Daylight Saving Time (DST) on Sunday, March 11, 2018.
US & Canada DST Map: The striped areas start DST on Sunday, March 11, 2018.
©timeanddate.com
People in areas which observe DST set the clocks forward 1 hour from 02:00 (2 am) to 03:00 (3 am), local time.
Standard time will resume on Sunday, November 4, 2018.
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
American Proposals to Abolish DST
Political proposals to abolish the yearly time change regularly appear on the agenda, and several DST bills are currently moving up the legislative ladder in the US.
After Massachusetts studied the effect of DST, several states in New England are considering abolishing DST and permanently changing the time zone. Also, Florida has a bill dubbed the “Sunshine Protection Act” moving up in the state legislature.
From experience, these bills normally don't make it all the way to the state Senate, and they are usually voted down at some point in the legislative process. We monitor the political processes closely on timeanddate.com.
Canada and the EU discuss DST
In Canada, there have been political discussions about DST in both Alberta and British Columbia. Neither bills come to fruition.
In February, the European Parliament voted to re-evaluate DST in Europe urging the EU Commission to consider putting an end to setting the clocks back and forward 1 hour.
Mexico DST Divided
A few northern Mexican border towns, such as Tijuana and Juárez (Ciudad Juárez), start DST on March 11 along with the US and Canada.
However, most of Mexico starts DST on Sunday, April 1, 2018. A few Mexican cities, like Hermosillo and Cancun, do not observe DST at all.
Other areas starting DST on March 11 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.