Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, when clocks “fall back” by one hour and we gain an extra hour of sleep (well, those without kids at least).
There’s a possibility that this could be the last end to Daylight Saving Time.
The U.S. Senate passed a bill earlier this year that would make DST permanent next year, though it’s currently stalled in the House. Should it pass, we would “spring forward” on Sunday, March 12, 2023 and stay there permanently.
Arlingtonians prefer permanent DST, and an overwhelming majority want the twice-yearly times changes to end, but it’s not unanimous.
In November 2012, 43% of ARLnow readers said they were sad about the annual end of Daylight Saving Time, compared to 29% who said they were happy about it. In March, 59% of poll respondents said they support year-round DST, compared to 28% who prefer year-round standard time and 13% who want to keep things as-is.
As with most things in life, there’s a trade-off involved with making DST permanent. As the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang points out, in the western parts of time zones winter sunrises under permanent DST would be pushed out past 9 a.m., and in some northern areas even past 10 a.m.
More eastern and southern portions of time zones will have more moderate sunrise and sunset times. The D.C. area, for instance, would have its latest sunrise at 8:27 a.m. and its earliest sunset at 5:45 p.m., according to the Post.
All things considered, if this is the last time setting the clocks back, would you have any regrets or second thoughts about it?