SYLACAUGA, Ala. – The first Sunday in November means Daylight Saving Time (DST) is almost over.
The clocks will fall back and you’ll get an extra hour of sleep in setting our clocks back by one hour – amen – but, with shorter days of the season, the late afternoon sunshine we all love will begin to disappear.
Why the change? Blame Benjamin Franklin. With fewer daylight hours in Fall and Winter, he jokingly theorized in 1784 that the change would help Parisians save candles.
Today, without DST, we would simply not enjoy the most sunlight possible for eight months each year. Daylight Saving Time helps us make better use of daylight, promotes outdoor activities during Summer months, and reduces traffic accidents and crime thanks to better visibility during early evenings. (Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa do not observe DST.).
The change back to Standard Time is effective at 2:00 a.m. Nov. 4, and, thankfully, will automatically apply to your smartphones, tablets, and personal computers. But to help make sure you don’t arrive at church an hour before your pastor, reset your old-fashioned clocks before your head hits the pillow tonight.
Put your extra hour to good use by changing smoke detector batteries, and drive carefully as you get used to sun glare during morning and late afternoon commutes. Sunrise on Sunday: 6:08 a.m. Sunset: 4:50 p.m.
We’ll change back to Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, March 10.
