Most Americans will likely set their clocks back one hour this fall at the end of daylight saving time, even as Congress considers legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent.
Unless Congress acts before Nov. 1, Ohioans will turn their clocks back one hour when daylight saving time ends. If lawmakers eventually make daylight saving time permanent, Ohio would would see later winter sunsets but also winter sunrises that would arrive nearly an hour later. The bill has passed the U.S. House, and was referred to a committee in the Senate. No vote has been scheduled as of Aug. 27, USA TODAY reports, but the Senate returns in September and could take it up.
How soon will Ohioans change their clocks? Here's when the time change happens.
When does daylight saving time end in 2026? When do clocks fall back?
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. In 2026, that date falls on Nov. 1, the earliest possible date for the annual time change.
What is daylight saving time?
Why do we change the time?
So more sunlight happens "during more of the hours when people are typically active," Congress.gov says.
Daylight saving time started in 1918, although the regulations governing it have changed multiple times. The current schedule was introduced in 2007 and it follows the Energy Policy Act of 2005, per Time and Date.
Typically, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November, according to Time and Date.
Most states use daylight saving time, with the exception of Hawaii and most of Arizona.
How late would Ohio sunrises get under permanent daylight saving time?
Permanent daylight saving time would have little effect in summer because Ohio already observes daylight saving time from March to November.
On June 21, the summer solstice, sunrises would range from 5:53 a.m. in Akron to 6:12 a.m. in Cincinnati, while sunsets would occur between 9:02 p.m. and 9:07 p.m.
The biggest change would come in winter, when both sunrise and sunset would shift one hour later. On Dec. 21, the winter solstice, sunrise would occur as late as 8:47 a.m. in Akron, 8:50 a.m. in Columbus and 8:53 a.m. in Cincinnati, while sunsets would move to 6 p.m., 6:10 p.m. and 6:18 p.m., respectively. Ohio wouldn't gain daylight, only shift it later into the day.
Is Congress changing daylight savings time?
The House of Representatives approved the legislation by a bipartisan 308-117 vote on July 14 and sent the bill along the Senate the following day, where it was referred to the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
The Senate is scheduled to resume regular business at 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, following its summer state work period, per USA TODAY. Its first announced vote that evening involves a federal judicial nomination, not daylight saving time.
That means permanent daylight saving time could return to the Senate’s agenda after lawmakers come back, but it is not currently on the published voting schedule.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When does daylight savings time stop? Will clocks fall back in 2026?
