It's October, and the earlier sunsets might make it feel like daylight saving time is ending any minute now. But Ohioans still have a few weeks before clocks fall back an hour.
This year's change is notable because it falls on the earliest possible date allowed under federal law, making the annual switch arrive sooner on the calendar than many people remember. The push to make daylight saving time permanent continues (possibly with help from Sen. Bernie Moreno), but Ohioans can still expect to turn clocks back and gain an extra hour of sleep this November.
Here's when the time change happens.
Is daylight saving time this weekend?
No. Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at 2 a.m. ET.
Why Ohio's fall back date comes unusually early in 2026
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.
Is it "daylight saving" or "daylight savings" time?
The correct term is daylight saving time.
While "daylight savings time" is commonly used in everyday conversation, the official name is singular because the practice is intended to save daylight.
Was daylight saving time created for farmers?
No.
It's a long-running myth, but daylight saving time was not introduced to benefit farmers.
According to historical accounts, Germany became the first nation to broadly adopt the practice during World War I in an effort to conserve fuel. The United States later adopted daylight saving time during the war, and Congress established the modern framework through the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Ohio sunrise and sunset times after daylight saving time ends
After clocks fall back, both sunrise and sunset will occur about an hour earlier than they did the previous day.
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.
What permanent daylight saving time would mean for Ohio sunrise, sunset times
Permanent daylight saving time would have little effect in summer because Ohio already observes daylight saving time from March to November.
On the date of 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 the day of 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.
Will daylight saving time become permanent in Ohio?
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.
When will daylight saving time begin again?
Unless Congress changes the law, daylight saving time will return on Sunday, March 14, 2027, when clocks move forward one hour.
The next date to fall back would be Sunday, Nov. 7, 2027.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Do clocks fall back tonight? When daylight saving time ends in 2026
