When does Spring begin in the US in 2024?
The arrival of Spring is upon us in the US. Here is when and why the change take place.
The arrival of Spring is approaching in the United States. Most Americans had to change the time on their clocks earlier in March, which coincides with the beginning of Spring, then in November.
According to The Farmers’ Almanac, the first official day of Spring this year is Tuesday, March 19. This date marks the spring equinox in the North Hemisphere. The March equinox occurs on that day at 11:06 p.m. ET.
What is the Spring equinox?
In the northern hemisphere, the Spring equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator from South to North. It is called the “celestial” equator because it is an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator.
At the March equinox, the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere receive approximately equal amounts of sunlight, since neither half is tilted more toward or away from the Sun than the other.
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US daylight saving time 2024
Daylight saving time begins each year in the US on the second Sunday of March. In 2024 the change took place on Sunday, March 10 at 2 a.m. In Spring it is necessary to advance one hour with respect to standard time. Daylight saving time ends on November 3.
Although the time change occurs at 2 a.m. on Sunday, clocks and analog devices can be set forward before going to sleep. Most electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches and others make the change automatically.
Parts of the US that do not change the time
The only parts of the United States that do not have daylight saving time and therefore do not change their clocks are Hawaii and Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Nation area.
Other US territories in the Pacific and Caribbean Sea such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and American Samoa, also do not make the change.
Daylight Saving Time allows for better use of natural light, since by moving the clocks forward one hour in spring, there is light during summer afternoons. This could result in energy savings.