It’s the end of October and that means we’ll soon have to turn the clock back an hour. For those of us who need reminding, the popular expression is “jump forward, fall back‘ helps remind us to turn the clock back one hour, marking the official return to standard time.

This return to standard time, while giving us a much-needed hour of beauty sleep, will also result in chaos in biological clocks. Ask anyone who has a toddler – or worse, a cat – at home. These little overlords do not like schedule changes and like to stick to their feeding schedules with extreme precision. That’s why those of us who know the impending tantrums brace ourselves.

What is standard time?

The official time is changed to better correspond to the winter sunlight hours. In summer the days are longer, so we ‘spring forward’ to get more sunlight in the evening. But in winter the days are shorter and it gets dark earlier. That’s why we turn back the clock to “fall back” and ensure that the population can enjoy daylight in the morning.

This tradition arose at a time when electricity and light bulbs were not yet present in every household. So it was an effective way to reduce the need for candles.

When will we go back to standard time in 2024?

On Sunday, November 3, 2024, the time will change to standard time. At 2 a.m. the clock goes back one hour. If you rely on smartwatches, smartphones and computers, don’t worry. Most will adjust automatically thanks to built-in calendars that detect the change.

However, if you unknowingly rely on your oven’s clock, or have an inherited cuckoo clock in your hallway, you should be careful and carefully change its timing after you wake up on Sunday, November 3.

If you’ve already purchased a 2025 calendar (and like to plan ahead), you may also want to mark the next hour change. Daylight saving time starts on Sunday, March 9, 2025 when the clocks are moved forward one hour, and ends on Sunday, November 2, when the clocks are turned back.

Daylight Saving Time in the US

Although 48 states use the Daylight Savings Time (DST) system, some areas and territories of the US prefer to stay on standard time year-round.

For example, Hawaii, with its stable daylight hours, has little need to adjust its schedule to look for more evening light. This state is geographically closer to the equator, where the length of day and night does not fluctuate as much throughout the year. Since 1967, Hawaii has been on standard time all year round.

Despite not being near the equator (it is actually between latitudes 31° 20′ N and 37° N), Arizona takes the Daylight savings time because of his hot desert climate. In a place where 645 heat-related deaths were recorded in 2023, the population actively avoids being outside during peak hours, when the sun is in full sunlight. In fact, Arizonans even benefit from fewer hours of scorching sun.

Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and even the Northern Mariana Islands remain on standard time year-round. Why, you say? Because all these areas are close to the equator, where the length of day and night does not fluctuate much throughout the year. So changing the time would only cause minor chaos twice a year.

Summer time (DST) in Europe

However, Europe does not change time on the same day as the US. It doesn’t even happen in the same week!

While daylight saving time will change on Sunday, November 3, 2024, this clock adjustment in Europe will take place a week earlier, on Sunday, October 27, 2024, at 1:00 AM UTC. If you are a North American citizen currently living abroad, please be aware of the calendar differences!

Very few people – or living things – like daylight saving time. Historically, dairy farmers have publicly complained that cows do not respond well to changes in their milking schedule. In the meantime, those of us who don’t like messing with our (analogical and internal) clocks will have to move to Arizona or Hawaii.