Sunday morning we were happy for those residents who love a little extra shuteye, as the clocks rolled back at the end of daylight saving time in the United States.
At 2 a.m., clocks rolled back an hour, forcing residents to change times on their microwaves and ovens after waking up from an extra hour of sleep.
As the United States heads into winter, with daylight getting shorter with each passing day, the question now is: when will we turn our clocks forward again?
Under the provisions of the Energy Policy Act 2005, which amended the Uniform Time Act 1966, daylight saving time will begin on the second Sunday in March, which will fall in 2023 on 12 March.
Almost all US states observe daylight saving time, with the exception of Arizona (although some Native American tribes observe DST in their territories) and Hawaii. US territories, including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the US Virgin Islands, do not observe daylight saving time.
The next question that needs to be answered will be up to lawmakers in Congress. The Sunshine Protection Act, which passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year, is stalled in the House, and it is unclear whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi will slot the bill for debate during the lame duck session later in years.
Under the provisions of that law, daylight saving time would become permanent across the United States, meaning that when clocks go forward in 2023, they would never go back.
The future of the legislation is unknown, with lawmakers offering public support but not scheduling the bill for a vote at this time.
As for the immediate impact of the rollback, residents were given an opportunity to get up earlier on Sunday, with the sun rising just before 6:28 a.m. in Chicago. Of course that will also come with an earlier sunset, with the sun dipping below the horizon at 4:40 p.m.
The earliest sunset of the year will occur almost a month from Sunday, with sunset scheduled for 4:21pm on December 8. occurs around January 3rd.
By that point in the calendar, daylight will be increasing, after the winter solstice has passed. That date will fall on December 21, when the city of Chicago will see just under nine hours and 11 minutes of daylight.
