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When is daylight saving time 2025? Here's when clocks 'fall back' in Seattle

By
Published  October 6, 2025 3:21pm PDT
Seattle
FOX 13 Seattle

The Brief

    • Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, when clocks fall back one hour across most of the U.S.
    • The practice, first adopted in 1918 to conserve fuel, shifts clocks forward each spring to extend evening daylight.
    • Only Hawaii, most of Arizona, and several U.S. territories don’t observe daylight saving time; it returns March 8, 2026.

Across much of the U.S., the clocks change twice a year. In spring, they move forward an hour to mark the start of daylight saving time, and in fall, they shift back an hour as it ends.

This gives early risers an extra hour of sleep before their alarms, but it also means the sun will set earlier – often before many workers finish their day.

What is daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time refers to the period between spring and fall when clocks are set one hour ahead of standard time to make better use of daylight. As mandated by federal law, it begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November, maximizing evening daylight during the warmer months.

The U.S. first adopted the practice of setting clocks back in 1918 during World War I to conserve fuel. Proponents believed shifting the clocks forward by an hour would save electricity by reducing household power use, allowing more coal-generated energy to be redirected to the war effort. The practice was briefly discontinued after the war but was reintroduced during World War II for the same energy-saving purposes.

When does daylight saving time end in Seattle in 2025?

Daylight saving time ends for the year at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 2. Residents will need to turn their clocks back one hour, marking the return to standard time.

Which states don't observe daylight saving time?

Big picture view:

The list of states and territories that won’t be changing their clocks on Nov. 2 includes:

  • Hawaii
  • Arizona
  • American Samoa territories
  • Guam
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Puerto Rico
  • U.S. Virgin Islands

Is daylight saving time observed outside the US? 

Yes. There are other countries that observe daylight saving time.  

Almost all of Europe, except Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iceland, Russia and Turkey, participate in daylight saving time.

In addition, parts of Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Australia observe it. Egypt is the only country on the African continent to observe daylight saving time.

When will daylight saving time start again next year?

Daylight saving time will start again on Sunday, March 8, 2026.

The Source: The Associated Press and previous reporting from FOX 13 Seattle contributed to this story.

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