Ohioans will turn their clocks back an hour on Nov. 1 this year for the end of daylight saving time. Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio could help make DST permanent in the future, but until then, this year's switch back to standard time comes on the earliest date possible under federal law.
In 2026, that first Sunday falls on Nov. 1. While efforts to make daylight saving time permanent continue, Ohioans will likely still gain an extra hour of sleep this November.
Here's why the time change falls so early this year and how sunrise and sunset times will shift across Ohio.
When will Ohio clocks fall back in 2026? Why daylight saving time ends early this year
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, the earliest possible date for the annual time change.
Under federal regulations of the Uniform Time Act, daylight saving
time begins on the second Sunday in March every year and ends on the first Sunday in November. Because Nov. 1 falls on a Sunday in 2026, the annual clock change lands on the earliest date possible. The switch can happen any time from Nov. 1 through Nov. 7, depending on how the calendar falls.
Ohio sunrise and sunset times after the clock change at the end of daylight saving time
After clocks fall back, Ohioans will see both the sunrise and sunset arrive about an hour earlier than the day before.
For most Ohioans, the first day back on standard time means a sunrise around 7 a.m. and a sunset between about 5:20 p.m. and 5:40 p.m., depending on your location.
Here's what Ohioans can expect on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, according to timeanddate.com:
- Akron: Sunrise at approximately 6:57 a.m.; sunset at approximately 5:21 p.m.
- Cleveland: Sunrise at 6:58 a.m.; sunset at 5:21 p.m.
- Columbus: Sunrise at 7:01 a.m.; sunset at 5:29 p.m.
- Cincinnati: Sunrise at 7:05 a.m.; sunset at 5:37 p.m.
- Dayton: Sunrise at approximately 7:05 a.m.; sunset at approximately 5:34 p.m.
- Toledo: Sunrise at approximately 7:06 a.m.; sunset at approximately 5:28 p.m.
Will daylight saving time become permanent?
If enacted, federal bill HR 139 would make daylight saving time permanent in most of the United States. Clocks would stay on daylight saving time year-round instead of "falling back" each November.
Permanent daylight saving time wouldn't create extra daylight. It would simply move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Do we fall back this weekend? Daylight saving time ends early in 2026
