Daylight saving will end this weekend. When will it get dark in WA after clocks fall back?

Since the clocks changed in March, Washington has been running on Pacific Daylight Time. But starting this weekend, that will change.

This year, the end of daylight saving time falls on Sunday, Nov. 3. At 2:00 a.m. that day, clocks in Washington will revert to Pacific Standard Time, turning back to 1:00 a.m. and giving you an extra hour to sleep in.

Washington has already been losing daylight quickly as the calendar inches towards the winter, and the clock change means the sun will set an additional hour earlier.

How quickly will it get dark in WA?

Recently, the sun has been setting around 6:00 p.m. in much of western Washington, and around 5:50 p.m. in the Tri-Cities area in eastern Washington.

In the week after the clocks change, the sun is expected to set around 4:45 p.m. in western Washington, and around 4:35 p.m. in the Tri-Cities area, according to TimeAndDate.com

While the rate at which the days get shorter will slow down as we approach the winter solstice on Dec. 21, we’ll continue losing daylight over the coming weeks. According to TimeAndDate, by the end of November, the sun is expected to set at 4:21 p.m. in Pierce County, 4:24 in Thurston County, 4:16 p.m. in Whatcom County and 4:12 p.m. in the Tri-Cities area.

Tips for dealing with daylight saving

Even though the end of daylight savings gives you an extra hour of sleep, it can still throw off your body’s daily rhythm. According to the University of Washington Medicine, it typically takes between two and three days for your body to adjust to the time change.

In order to ease that transition, they recommend going to sleep at the same time as you usually do the night of the time change, instead of using it as an excuse to stay up an hour later. That way, your body’s rhythms will stay consistent, even though the clocks have changed.

Additionally, the Farmer’s Almanac recommends slowly easing your meal schedule to account for the time change, avoiding caffeine, alcohol and exercise in the hours before you go to sleep, avoiding electronics right before bed and going for a morning or early afternoon walk to make sure you’re still getting enough sunlight.

Why do we still have daylight saving?

There’s been a nationwide push to end the bi-annual clock changes in recent years. Back in 2022, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent, but the bill never made it to a vote in the House.

Washington state passed a similar bill in 2019, which made it through both chambers and was signed by the governor. However, federal law doesn’t allow states to use daylight time year-round, although they are allowed to use standard time year round. So until Congress allows the change, Washington state’s proposal can’t take effect.

This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 12:08 PM.