When 2021 Daylight Saving Time Ends In New York

NEW YORK — Ready or not, it’s time to fall back. After months of long days and abundant sunshine, daylight saving time 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 around 4:45 p.m. in New York, slightly earlier the further east you live.

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 seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, a type of depression that for many people 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.

California voters authorized year-round DST in 2018, but action on the referendum is still pending within the state Legislature.

Legislation sponsored by Sen. James Scoutis, D-Cornwall, is pending in New York to direct the secretary of state to apply to the federal government requesting that the state observe Atlantic standard time.

If the law ever makes it through Albany and is signed by the governor, it would become effective upon passage of similar legislation in Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The idea is that all the states in the region would have to exist in the same time zone, otherwise commuting would be problematic.

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, R-Florida, 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.”