When To Turn Clocks Back As Daylight Saving Time Ends In VA, DC

WASHINGTON, DC — Ready or not, it’s time to fall back, Virginia.

After months of long days and abundant sunshine, daylight saving time — or daylight savings time, as it’s often called incorrectly — will come to an end Sunday, Nov. 7, a full week later than it ended last year. This means you’ll enjoy an extra hour of sleep or another hour out on the town before turning your clocks back an hour as you head to bed.

It also means preparing yourself for less sunlight in the evening hours. On Nov. 7, the sun will set at 5 p.m. in the District of Columbia and northern Virginia.

Nov. 1 is the earliest date possible for the end of daylight saving time, which officially occurs at 2 a.m. during normal sleeping hours.

The days will continue to get shorter as we move toward the winter solstice on Dec. 21. Falling back to standard time can also make the change more abrupt, triggering for many seasonal affective disorders, or SAD, a type of depression that occurs during the late fall and early winter.

The exact cause of SAD isn’t known, but research suggests limited sunlight is a reason, and the symptoms usually dissipate as the days grow longer and daylight saving time returns on the first Sunday in March.

“SAD is not a minor condition, but because people typically experience it only during certain months, they don't see it as a serious issue. However, it is imperative to treat,” Dr. Paolo Cassano, a psychiatrist who specializes in low-level-light therapy at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, told Harvard Health Publishing.

For years, pro-sunlight advocates have created a movement to make daylight saving time permanent. In response, nearly every state has considered legislation to do away with the twice-a-year time switch.

Since 2015, at least 350 bills and resolutions have been introduced in virtually every state. In 2018, Florida became the first state to enact legislation to permanently observe daylight saving time; however, any passed laws can’t take effect until there’s a change in the federal statute.

The 19 states where legislatures have approved bills favoring year-round daylight saving time are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Virginia lawmakers introduced a bill that asked the commonwealth’s secretary of commerce and trade to study the effects of DST on the commonwealth. The legislation failed in 2021.

In March, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, along with several other senators, reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act, federal legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent across the country.

“The call to end the antiquated practice of clock-changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation,” Rubio said in a news release. “Studies have shown many benefits of a year-round daylight saving time, which is why the Florida legislature voted to make it permanent in 2018. I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill to make daylight saving time permanent, and give our nation’s families more stability throughout the year.”

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