Clocks go back an hour
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The gist
Most of Europe set clocks back an hour on Sunday Oct 25, with the US following at 2 a.m. Nov 1.
The shift brings darker evenings and renewed debate over scrapping the twice-yearly change.
Background
Daylight saving time is the practice of moving clocks forward in spring and back in autumn, in use for more than a century — Germany was the first country to adopt it in 1916 to save fuel during World War One, and the UK followed, calling its summer period British Summer Time. The autumn change is trending now because most of Europe, including the UK and the Netherlands, moved clocks back on Sunday Oct 25, while North America waits until the first weekend of November. In the US, President Donald Trump has backed permanent daylight saving time and called for an end to the twice-yearly changes, but no federal law has replaced the current schedule.
How it unfolded
- Oct 21, 2026CNET reports US daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time Sunday, Nov 1, and returns at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 14, 2027.
- Oct 24, 2026Dutch outlets report the Netherlands switches to winter time at 3 a.m. Sunday, clocks rolling back to 2 a.m.
- Oct 25, 2026British Summer Time ends at 02:00 BST as UK clocks go back an hour; most of Europe changes the same day.
- Oct 30, 2026Egypt's daylight saving time comes to an end.
- Nov 1, 2026US daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time, clocks turning back one hour to 1 a.m.
Who’s saying what
- Caution
- Figo, a pet insurance firm, warned more dogs are likely to be hurt in traffic collisions as darkness increases, with vet bills averaging around 700 euros and reaching toward 7,300 euros in extreme cases.
- Expert
- Figo veterinarian Kathryn Mercer said that in the dark a dog, its leash and its owner must form one visible whole for cyclists to see them.
- Public
- In an OSW/PanelWizard survey of 1,125 Dutch drivers, 22 percent said they definitely feel more uncertain driving in twilight and evening hours right after wintertime begins, and 46 percent find it harder to see other road users or obstacles in time in the dark.
- Caution
- Opponents of year-round daylight saving time argue it could leave students waiting for school buses and commuters traveling to work in darkness on winter mornings, particularly in northern states.
- Official
- BBC Weather reports there are currently no plans in the UK to get rid of the biannual clock change.
Still unverified
The Tennessean reports the Sunshine Protection Act has stalled and has yet to become law, while the Detroit News reports the House passed it July 14 in a bipartisan 308-117 vote and referred it July 15 to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which has not passed it.