AUSTIN (KXAN) — As we work our way through October, you may be wondering when we “fall back” and get that extra hour of sleep.
Nov. 6 is the magical date when daylight saving time ends, so this past Sunday marked four weeks away and counting down. The yearly occurrence acts as a time shift when we set our clocks one hour earlier as we head into standard time.
Daylight saving time — when we set clocks one hour later, or “spring forward” — began at 2 a.m. local time March 13 for most of the country.
As it is, we’re losing almost two minutes of daylight per day.
Key dates: Sunrise and sunsets (based on Austin, Texas)
- Oct. 14: Last sunset of 7 p.m. or later for 2022
- Nov. 5: Last day of daylight saving time
- Sunrise: 7:48 a.m., sunset: 6:40 p.m.
- Nov. 6: First day of standard time
- Sunrise: 6:49 a.m., sunset: 5:39 p.m.
- Nov. 19: Last day with sunrise before 7 a.m. for 2022
- Nov. 25 through Dec. 10: Earliest sunset of the year (5:30 p.m.)
- Dec. 21: First day of winter, shortest day length of the year (10 hours, 11 min, 38 seconds)
- Jan. 4-15: Latest sunrise of the year (7:28 a.m.)
What to do when standard time begins?
There are some checklist items you should plan to do the weekend of the time change.
- Change clocks back one hour if they don’t adjust to standard time automatically.
- Don’t forget the microwave clock, oven clock, sprinkler clock and car clock.
- Put new batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector.
No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
A poll conducted last October shows that most Americans want to avoid switching between daylight saving and standard time, though there is no consensus behind which should be used all year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.