Daylight Saving 2022: When Do Clocks Spring Forward In WA?

SEATTLE — Believe it or not, it's almost time to spring forward in Washington.

Daylight saving time is just around the corner. This year, it begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 13, which means later sunsets, longer-seeming days and the biannual hassle of changing the time on old-school clocks.

As a refresher, Daylight Saving Time is the practice of setting clocks forward one hour from standard time in the spring, and back again in the fall, in order to make better use of natural daylight.

That said, some studies suggest that Daylight Saving Time is more hassle than it's worth, interrupting sleep schedules and leaving us bleary-eyed and befuddled. In fact, in 2019 Washington lawmakers passed a bill to put an end to the practice, by permanently shifting to Daylight Saving Time.

Unfortunately, even though Daylight Saving Time is not popular (63 percent of Americans would like to ditch it permanently, according to a recent Economic/YouGov poll), Washington can't actually get rid of the practice without federal approval. Last year, Washington Sen. Patty Murray took to the Senate floor and introduced the Sunshine Protection Act, which would have done away with the biannual time change.

"To put it simply, Americans want more sunshine and less depression," Murray said. "For goodness' sake, voters across the country have shown they support this, research shows this is good for public health, and studies demonstrate real economic benefits."

According to Murray and others, getting rid of Daylight Savings Time could have a number of benefits.

"Studies have shown our switch to standard time can increase rates of seasonal depression as well as heart problems and risk of stroke," Murray said. "Researchers also believe that if we made Daylight Saving Time permanent, there would be fewer car accidents and evening robberies thanks to a more regular schedule and extra hour of sun. And there are studies that indicate permanent Daylight Saving Time could offset reduced economic activity that we see during standard time and even lead to greater energy savings."

But despite drawing bipartisan support, the act did not make the grade, and thus Washington will set their clocks ahead once again this March.

As it stands, only Hawaii and Arizona have been able to escape the practice, although the Navajo Nation in the Grand Canyon State does.

Patch writers Adam Nichols, Matt Troutman, and Michael Woyton contributed to this report.