Summer time: What you should know
Let’s get back to the basics: Here are a few facts about the time change.
Fort Collins saw its last sunset at 8 p.m. from August 13 to May 5, 2025, meaning the countdown to the end of Daylight Saving Time is on.
Here’s what you need to know about daylight saving time, Fort Collins sunset times, and the winter solstice:
When does daylight saving time end this year?
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on November 3. Then the clocks go back an hour and standard time is reinstated. This results in more light in the morning and less in the evening.
In most countries where the clocks change, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March (March 10, 2025) and ends on the first Sunday in November.
Here are the sunset time markers in Fort Collins for the rest of 2024
According to timeanddate.com:
- 20 September: 18:59
- October 29: 17:59
- 4 November: 16:43
- December: The earliest sunset is at 4:33 p.m. on the first 13 days of this month.
When is the winter solstice?
December 21, the day with the shortest daylight duration of 9 hours, 16 minutes and 5 seconds in Fort Collins.
After that, the sunlight begins to grow.
Didn’t Colorado try to make daylight saving time permanent?
While Colorado has voted to adopt year-round daylight saving time in 2022, it was contingent on congressional approval of the Sunshine Protection Act and stronger momentum in surrounding states.
The U.S. Senate has passed the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022 and 2023, but it has yet to receive full support from Congress or be signed into law by the President.
If the Sunshine Protection Act ever passes, in order to become permanent in Colorado, at least four other states in the Mountain Time Zone must adopt year-round daylight saving time. Previous reports from Colorado show that Montana, Wyoming and Utah have all adopted permanent daylight saving time measures in recent years.
The Nebraska legislature debated whether to make daylight saving time permanent or to adopt standard time year-round, but both proposals were rejected.
Brief history of daylight saving time
- Daylight saving time was first introduced in the United States in 1918.
- The current schedule was introduced in 2007.
- Daylight saving time is regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, but states have the right to decide whether or not to observe the time change.
Former Coloradoan reporter Pat Ferrier contributed to this report.
