Residents across most of the United States will turn their clocks forward Sunday to begin daylight saving time.

The change will lead to brighter evenings and darker mornings. Beginning Sunday, the sun will set one hour later in the evening than it does during standard time.

Most of the country observes the change, with the exceptions being the Pacific state of Hawaii and most of the southwestern state of Arizona. U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas also do not observe the time change.

Daylight saving time goes into effect at 2 a.m. local time across the four times zones that make up the continental United States, along with the two time zones in Alaska.

Since the 1960s, most of the United States has shifted to daylight saving time in the spring. The time change was first tried in 1918 with year-round daylight saving time used during World War II and in the mid-1970s to reduce energy use.

The U.S. Senate voted last March to make daylight saving time permanent. However, the bill died in the U.S. House of Representatives, where there is more opposition to the measure.

Proponents of permanent daylight saving time say the measure would provide more sunshine later into the day during chilly winter months and give more time for outdoor activities. However, opponents argue too much daylight is bad for circadian rhythms and note the measure would cause some cities, such as Indianapolis, to not see a winter sunrise until after 9 a.m.

Daylight saving time will last until November 5, when Americans will again go through the twice-annual ritual of changing the clocks. In the fall, most of the country moves the clocks back an hour, resuming standard time.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

Source: VOA

  clock change, spring, sunday, time