Has spring finally arrived in Texas? Not quite, but we're getting close!
We need to get past daylight saving time before we can reach the spring equinox.
When do clocks go forward?
In the early hours of the morning Sunday March 10, millions of Texans will lose an hour of sleep. Once the clocks reach 2 a.m. CST, they will go forward to 3 a.m.
Anyway, your mobile phones, computers, tablets and smart watches will do it. You'll have to manually reset other clocks, like those on your kitchen appliances, but you know what we mean.
Daylight saving time ends and clocks go back on November 3, 2024.
What is daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time (DST) has a variety of other names: Daylight Saving Time savings time, daylight saving time, summer time (not to be confused with Summer time). It refers to the practice of setting clocks forward one hour during the warmest months of the year and then setting them back one hour in the fall.
One way to remember the pattern: “spring forward, fall back.”
Daylight saving time is approaching. This is when the clocks go forward
The idea dates back to World War I, although some credit Benjamin Franklin with daylight saving time due to a satirical letter he wrote in 1784 in which he said: “Every morning, as soon as the sun rises, that all the bells of each church ring And if this were not enough, let cannon shots be fired in all the streets to effectively wake up the lazy.”
To maximize resources for the war, Germany and Austria implemented the first daylight saving time in 1916. The United States followed suit in 1918. An obsolete ideasome maintain.
The general idea of daylight saving time is to maximize the use of natural light, according to the almanac. This always happens around the summer months. As the Earth moves around the Sun and tilts on its axis, certain parts of the world experience longer days during certain months. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, like the US, these longest days run from March to November, with the longest days being from June to August.
For those in the southern hemisphere, like AustraliaThe seasons are reversed: June to August mark the winter months and are therefore the shortest of the year.
When is the spring equinox?
The spring equinox, also known as the first day of spring, is March 19, 2024.
What is the spring equinox?Here are 3 things you should know about the beginning of spring.
Is this the last daylight saving time?
In Texas House Bill 1442State representatives last year took sides in the debate over eliminating one of the spring and fall time changes.
The House voted 138-5 to approve HB 1442 and maintain daylight saving time in the future.
The bill was sent to the Senate but remained on a committee when the 88th legislative session concluded on May 29.
Are you tired of changing your watch twice a year?Texas lawmakers seek to change it
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, if HB 1422 were to become law, Texas would join 19 other states that have passed measures to observe daylight saving time year-round. The law cannot take effect until Congress gives states the authority to observe daylight saving time year-round.
The proposal has garnered bipartisan support, as many lawmakers and their constituents agree that daylight saving time is now an unnecessary burden.
— Austin American-Statesman reporter Marley Malenfant contributed to this report..