Pacific Time Zone

Last updated

Pacific Time Zone
Time zone
Timezoneswest.PNG
  Pacific Time Zone
UTC offset
PST UTC−08:00
PDT UTC−07:00
Current time
11:12, 7 August 2024 PST [refresh]
12:12, 7 August 2024 PDT [refresh]
Observance of DST
DST is observed throughout this time zone.

The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−08:00). During daylight saving time, a time offset of UTC−07:00 is used.

Contents

In the United States and Canada, this time zone is generically called the Pacific Time Zone. Specifically, time in this zone is referred to as Pacific Standard Time (PST) when standard time is being observed (early November to mid-March), and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) when daylight saving time (mid-March to early November) is being observed. In Mexico, the corresponding time zone is known as the Zona Noroeste (Northwest Zone) and observes the same daylight saving schedule as the United States and Canada. The largest city in the Pacific Time Zone is Los Angeles, whose metropolitan area is also the largest in the time zone.

The zone is two hours ahead of the Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone, one hour ahead of the Alaska Time Zone, one hour behind the Mountain Time Zone, [lower-alpha 1] two hours behind the Central Time Zone, three hours behind the Eastern Time Zone, and four hours behind the Atlantic Time Zone.

Canada

One Canadian province is split between the Pacific Time Zone and the Mountain Time Zone:

The border between time zones in British Columbia was decided in a 1972 plebiscite held in northeastern and southeastern electoral districts due to their ties to neighboring Alberta. [1]

As of September 24, 2020, Yukon officially switched from the Pacific Time Zone to a time zone "to be reckoned as seven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−7)" after deciding to stop observing daylight saving time. [2]

Mexico

In Mexico, the Zona Noroeste, which corresponds to Pacific Time in the United States and Canada, includes:[ citation needed ]

United States

Two states are fully contained in the Pacific Time Zone: [3]

Three states are split between the Pacific Time Zone and the Mountain Time Zone: [3]

One state is split between the Pacific Time Zone (unofficially), the Alaska Time Zone, and the Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone:

Daylight time

Through 2006, the local time (PST, UTC−08:00) changed to daylight time (PDT, UTC−07:00) at 02:00 LST (local standard time) to 03:00 LDT (local daylight time) on the first Sunday in April, and returned at 02:00 LDT to 01:00 LST on the last Sunday in October. [11] The United States Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which moved the local time changes from PST to PDT to the second Sunday in March and the reversal from PDT to PST to the first Sunday in November. [11] Like other Canadian provinces that observe daylight time, British Columbia adopted the same dates in April 2006, to take effect in March 2007 alongside the U.S. [12] Several Mexican states, including Baja California, implemented the new dates for the daylight time changes in 2010, ending a three-year period where cities across the Mexico–United States border had a one-hour difference for two months a year. [13]

Proposals to abolish the bi-annual time change and adopt year-round standard time or daylight time gained popularity among U.S. states in the 2010s. 59 percent of voters in California approved a 2018 ballot proposition that authorizes the legislature to use year-round daylight time, pending Congressional approval. [14] The Washington State Legislature passed a bill in May 2019 that would move the state to permanent daylight time, subject to Congressional approval; [15] the Oregon Legislative Assembly passed a similar bill a month later, while California's attempt failed. [16] The provincial government of British Columbia announced in 2019 that they would follow the U.S. states in whether the time changes were kept or removed in order to maintain a unified time zone. [17] In 2020, Idaho passed legislation to allow for permanent daylight time for the Pacific Time Zone. [18] Congressional approval was sought through the Sunshine Protection Act, which was submitted several times and passed by the U.S. Senate in 2022, but its equivalent in the House of Representatives failed to pass. [19]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ While the state of Arizona lies entirely within the Mountain Time Zone, daylight saving time is only observed within the Navajo Nation; as a result, most of Arizona is aligned with the Pacific Time Zone from mid-March to early November.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time zone</span> Area that observes a uniform standard time

A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it is convenient for areas in frequent communication to keep the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daylight saving time</span> Seasonal change of clock settings

Daylight saving time (DST), also referred to as daylight saving(s), daylight savings time, daylight time (United States and Canada), or summer time (United Kingdom, European Union, and others), is the practice of advancing clocks to make better use of the longer daylight available during summer so that darkness falls at a later clock time. The typical implementation of DST is to set clocks forward by one hour in spring or late winter, and to set clocks back by one hour to standard time in the autumn (or fall in North American English, hence the mnemonic: "spring forward and fall back").

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Time Zone</span> Time zone in North America

The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America and some Caribbean islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Time Zone</span> Time zone in North America

The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain Time Zone</span> Time zone of North America

The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time (UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time (UTC−06:00). The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time at the 105th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. In the United States, the exact specification for the location of time zones and the dividing lines between zones is set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations at 49 CFR 71.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Time Zone</span> Time zone in Alaska

The Alaska Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting nine hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−09:00). During daylight saving time its time offset is eight hours (UTC−08:00). The clock time in this zone is based on mean solar time at the 135th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time in the United States</span> Time zones in the U.S.

In the United States, time is divided into nine standard time zones covering the states, territories and other US possessions, with most of the country observing daylight saving time (DST) for approximately the spring, summer, and fall months. The time zone boundaries and DST observance are regulated by the Department of Transportation, but no single map of those existed until the agency announced intentions to make one in September 2022. Official and highly precise timekeeping services (clocks) are provided by two federal agencies: the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ; and the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). The clocks run by these services are kept synchronized with each other as well as with those of other international timekeeping organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer time in Europe</span> Variation of standard clock time

Summer time in Europe is the variation of standard clock time that is applied in most European countries in the period between spring and autumn, during which clocks are advanced by one hour from the time observed in the rest of the year, with a view to making the most efficient use of seasonal daylight. It corresponds to the notion and practice of daylight saving time (DST) to be found in some other parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Time Zone</span> Time zone (UTC−04:00)

The Atlantic Time Zone is a geographical region that keeps standard time—called Atlantic Standard Time (AST)—by subtracting four hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), resulting in UTC−04:00. AST is observed in parts of North America and some Caribbean islands. During part of the year, some portions of the zone observe daylight saving time, referred to as Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT), by moving their clocks forward one hour to UTC−03:00. The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 60th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory.

The Yukon Time Zone was a formerly observed time zone that kept standard time; Yukon Standard Time (YST) was obtained by subtracting nine hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) resulting in UTC−09:00. Yukon Daylight Time (YDT) when observed was eight hours behind UTC. In 1983 the UTC−09:00 based time zone was restructured, and it was renamed the Alaska Time Zone in 1984. Yukon currently observes Mountain Time Zone and does not observe daylight-saving time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC−08:00</span> Identifier for a time offset from UTC of −8

UTC−08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −08:00. This time is used:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC−07:00</span> Identifier for a time offset from UTC of −7

UTC−07:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −07:00. In North America, it is observed in the Mountain Time Zone during standard time, and in the Pacific Time Zone during the other eight months. Some locations use it year-round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC−06:00</span> Identifier for a time offset from UTC of −6

UTC−06:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −06:00. In North America, it is observed in the Central Time Zone during standard time, and in the Mountain Time Zone during the other eight months. Several Latin American countries and a few other places use it year-round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time in Australia</span>

Australia uses three main time zones: Australian Eastern Standard Time, Australian Central Standard Time and Australian Western Standard Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time in Canada</span>

Canada is divided into six time zones. Most areas of the country's provinces and territories operate on standard time from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March and daylight saving time the rest of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daylight saving time in the United States</span> Practice of setting the clock forward by one hour in the United states

Most of the United States observes daylight saving time (DST), the practice of setting the clock forward by one hour when there is longer daylight during the day, so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less. Exceptions include Arizona, Hawaii, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established a uniform set of rules for states opting to observe daylight saving time.

Daylight saving time in the Americas is the arrangement in the Americas by which clocks are advanced by one hour in spring and moved back in autumn, to make the most of seasonal daylight. The practice is widespread in North America, with most of Canada and the United States participating, but much less so in Central and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daylight saving time by country</span>

Daylight saving time (DST), also known as summer time, is the practice of advancing clocks during part of the year, typically by one hour around spring and summer, so that daylight ends at a later time of the day. As of 2024, DST is observed in most of Europe, most of North America and parts of Africa and Asia around the Northern Hemisphere summer, and in parts of South America and Oceania around the Southern Hemisphere summer. It was also formerly observed in other areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time in Oregon</span> Time zones in North America

Time in Oregon is divided into two zones, with the vast majority in the Pacific Time Zone. Most of sparsely populated Malheur County, including its largest city, Ontario, and its county seat, Vale, are in the Mountain Time Zone due to their proximity to Boise, Idaho. The time zone division occurs at the southwest corner of township 35 S, range 37 E, continuing east to the state line, then south along the Oregon-Idaho border to the Nevada state line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time in Idaho</span> Time zones in North America

The U.S. state of Idaho is covered by two time zones, as described below. All locations observe daylight saving time.

References

  1. ↑ Palmer, Vaughn (March 20, 2019). "Pushing to make daylight time permanent without ticking off the masses". Vancouver Sun . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  2. ↑ Howells, Laura (September 29, 2020). "How do you stop a time change? In Yukon, it's taken time". CBC News . Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Official U.S. Time". National Institute of Standards and Technology . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  4. ↑ Idaho Official State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:1,248,000. Boise: Idaho Transportation Department. 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  5. ↑ Russell, Betsy Z. (March 5, 2018). "What if North Idaho switched time zones?". The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ Suplee, Curt (October 12, 1986). "Idaho: Giant paradox with a panhandle". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  7. ↑ Goldberg, Delen (July 2, 2011). "Nevada's tiny town with a different time zone". Las Vegas Sun . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  8. ↑ Phenix, Duncan (March 11, 2023). "While most of Nevada is set to 'spring forward,' these areas are already an hour ahead". Las Vegas: 8 News Now . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Cockle, Richard (November 3, 2008). "Ontario, Ore.: Idaho's spot to shop". The Oregonian . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ Levin, Dan (July 2, 2016). "An Alaskan Village Where Grizzlies Roam and Canada Rules (if Anyone Does)". The New York Times . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Sherwood, Courtney (March 7, 2007). "Daylight-saving time's early arrival may vex computers". The Columbian . p. A1. Retrieved June 28, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Daylight savings time changes next year". The Province . The Canadian Press. April 2, 2006. p. A2. Retrieved June 28, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Sunday time change will put San Diego, Tijuana on same clock". La Jolla Light . City News Service. November 5, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ Nixon, Nicole (March 11, 2022). "New bill could have California voters weigh in on daylight saving time — again". Sacramento: CapRadio . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  15. ↑ Clarridge, Christine (May 8, 2019). "Inslee signs bill to make daylight saving time permanent in Washington; next step Congress". The Seattle Times . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  16. ↑ Cuthill, Meagan (November 4, 2022). "Yes, we're still changing the clocks. Checking in on Oregon's quest for permanent daylight saving time". Oregon Public Broadcasting . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  17. ↑ Chan, Cheryl (March 10, 2021). "Is this the last time B.C. 'springs forward' to daylight saving time?". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  18. ↑ Heyward, Giulia (November 6, 2022). "These are the states enacting legislation to help make daylight saving time permanent". NPR . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  19. ↑ Zhao, Christina (March 2, 2023). "Permanent daylight saving time bill gets renewed push in Congress". NBC News . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.