When Does Daylight Saving Time 2017 End In MA?

Massachusetts will "fall back" this weekend from daylight saving time to standard time. That means the nights are about to get longer and darker (not to mention colder, but don't blame the clocks for that). Daylight saving time ends for most of the United States at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, so you'll want to turn your old-school clocks back before you go to bed Saturday night, Nov. 4.

But "falling back" isn't all doom and gloom – setting the clock back an hour means you'll be able to squeeze in an extra hour of fun with friends and family Saturday night or linger in bed for an extra hour Sunday morning, unless you have small kids, who don't acknowledge the time change.

Of course, the change is automatic for most smartphones, computers, tablets and other digital devices. Daylight saving time — called daylight "savings" time by some — moves the clocks forward one hour from standard time during the summer months, and back again in the fall, to make better use of natural daylight.

But this practice may soon be moot if the Bay State decides to join the ranks of Atlantic Standard Time. A state commission voted Nov. 1 to recommend making the switch to Atlantic time from Eastern time – a change that, most significantly, would make daylight saving permanent – if the rest of the region is on board.

The commission, which voted 9-1 to accept the report, listed several benefits a time zone change could bring: savings in energy costs; an economic boost from an additional hour of daylight for shoppers; and potential reductions in traffic accidents, workplace injuries and seasonal depression, all of which statistically rise after clocks are changed. However, such a change could complicate interstate travel and television programming, as well as necessitate a different school start time.

The panel said a majority of "Northeast" states, rather than simply New England states, would have to join Massachusetts in adopting year-round daylight saving time, a key phrasing change from an earlier draft version of the report. The chief concern lies in New York City and Boston being in different time zones several months a year, which could wreak havoc on financial markets, airline schedules and broadcast programming, among other things.

"If we don't have New York, this is a no-go," said Republican state Rep. Paul Frost, who had been on the fence throughout the panel's public meetings and was the lone vote against accepting the final report.

So for now, Massachusetts remains "falling back" and "springing forward" with the rest of the country.

The good news for early risers is sunrise will be about an hour earlier and there will be more light in the mornings, but it also means sunset will be around 5 p.m. depending on your location. The daylight will dwindle over the next two months (they don't begin lengthening again after the Winter Solstice on Thursday, Dec. 21), the loss of an hour of daylight means many Americans in the Eastern and Central Standard Time zones will be leaving their workplaces around sunset. And that can spell some danger.

In general, deer are most active between dusk and 11 p.m., and they're especially frisky at this time of year. It's prime breeding season — you may have heard it referred to as "in rut" — and they run about more wildly than usual, increasing the chances of a collision.

So slow down, know that if you see one deer more are likely to follow, pay attention to deer crossing signs and use your high beams — unless you're meeting an oncoming car, of course — to increase your chances of spotting them. Brake if you can, but don't swerve, because that could result in a more serious collision.

The risk of hitting a deer may be especially heightened, depending upon where you live.

Shorter days and the end of daylight saving time are associated with SAD (seasonal affective disorder), a form of clinical depression that is believed to affect about 5 percent of the U.S. population; it may set in as people have less daylight to enjoy after they got off work. To combat the depression, the Mayo Clinic recommends outdoor activity, especially within two hours of awakening; exercising regularly; opening blinds and window shades to let light inside; light therapy; medications; and psychotherapy.

What will you do with your extra hour?

It is a good time to change smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries and check to make sure those devices are in working order, according to fire officials.

Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe daylight saving time.

Check the exact time the sun sets after the fall back from Daylight Saving Time.

Reporting by the Associated Press was used in this story. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images News/Getty Images