With the onset of fall and earlier sunsets, the end of daylight saving time is approaching. November 3rd is a clear signal that winter is approaching.

In just over five weeks, the time change, which has given us daylight for pleasant summer evenings until late in the day, will end. Daylight saving time officially ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 3rd. At this point we set our clocks back one hour and return to standard time.

Time change dates in the United States are determined by federal law. Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which established daylight saving time to begin on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November.

Next March, Daylight Saving Time returns, with clocks going forward at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9th.

Some people also refer to the time change as daylight saving time. Formally, it’s summer time, without the s. But you don’t have to search far on the Internet to find both.

In any case, the idea behind the time change is to give us more daylight hours at the end of our day. By changing the clocks, we shift the daylight hours later into the evening.

When we changed the clocks in March, the effect was immediate. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, sunset in the Cleveland area was at 6:27 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, March 9. On Sunday, March 10, the first day of the time change, sunset occurred at 7:28 p.m

Sunset came later and later in the evening as we moved into summer. The latest sunset times were at 9:05 p.m. EST on June 25, 26 and 27, according to the US Naval Observatory.

But the effect wears off. Starting in September, sunset began to fall before 8 p.m. again, even though Daylight Saving Time was in effect. On September 22nd, the day of the fall equinox and the beginning of fall, sunset had fallen back to 7:23 p.m

The Cleveland metropolitan area will no longer see sunset after 8 p.m. until April 8, 2025, when Daylight Saving Time and Spring return.

As we march toward winter, sunset will continue to come earlier.

On Saturday, November 2nd, the last day of Daylight Saving Time, sunset will occur at 6:20 p.m. With the time change, the next day will feel like it will end an hour earlier. Sunset on Sunday, November 3rd, the first day of our return to standard time, will occur at 5:18 p.m

After the time change, sunset will continue to occur earlier through the end of December, even before 5 p.m. on some days.