It’s time to fall back again, as daylight saving time comes to a close. The pros: we get an extra hour of sleep. But, there are some experts calling for an end to the change, as certain doctors think we should stop turning the clocks back for good.
With this change coming, we can expect a 4:37 PM sunset at the end of the weekend, meaning our beloved 6 PM sunset is no longer. This marks the end of daylight saving time for 2022. The earlier sunset and subsequent time change can bring an extra hour of sleep, but according to some experts, it can be disruptive to health, schedules, and more.
By December 4th, the sun will set around 4:26 PM, according to Time and Date, a website meant to track daily sunrise and sunsets.
Keep reading for more info on daylight saving time, and when this Sunday’s sunset will start. PS: It is Daylight Saving Time and not Daylight Savings time.
Chicago Has A Funny History With The Concept
In 1920, there was a debate at city hall regarding whether the city should take an extra hour. This conversation lasted six months. As Chicago Daily Tribune put it, did Chicago officials want to “grab an extra hour from old father time?”
Finally, they reached a consensus to advance an hour, yet surrounding Chicago suburbs did not. Despite the confusion it caused, Chicagoans kept observing the tradition. We continue turning the clocks forward, and now, with daylight saving time ending, we’re about to fall back to standard time until spring comes along.
When Is Daylight Saving Time Ending This Year?
Daylight saving time in Illinois is set to end at 2 AM on Sunday, November 6th. In this past year, daylight saving time began on March 13, which is more than a full week before the official start of spring, meaning we had to turn our clocks one hour ahead a bit early in the season.
Under the conditions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. Lasting for a total of 34 weeks, it starts in early-to-mid March and goes to the beginning of November– in all states that observe it, which would be every state except for Arizona and Hawaii.
Is Daylight Saving Time Actually Ending For Good?
Earlier this year, the senate passed legislation known as the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent and would eliminate the seasonal changing of the clocks. The bill still needs to pass the House and get a signature by President Joe Biden before it’s officially approved.
The passing of this bipartisan bill would mean that Americans won’t have to change their clocks, eliminating the standard time that some states switch to in winter. If it’s passed, the new time wouldn’t go into full effect until 2023. Clocks would not roll back after they spring ahead for daylight saving time in March. Then, after that March 2023, no more time changes would take place in most of the United States.
How Would a Permanent Change Impact Chicago?
The real change would be sunrise– with sunrise moving to 8 AM in the winter, meaning morning work and school commutes would probably be under a darker sky outside. This also means that sunrise wouldn’t occur until after 8 AM from December 4th to February. 3rd.
We’ve all gotten used to a 4 PM sunset in winter, and if the time change is no longer, we’d have to adjust. By changing the permanent daylight saving time, the earliest sunset of the year would happen at 5:21 PM on Dec. 8, 2023.
Don’t forget to turn your clocks back this Sunday.