The story behind Daylight Saving Time
On Sunday, March 13, most U.S. and European residents will move their clocks forward one hour. Daylight Saving Time is the cycle that starts in the second week of March and ends in the first week of November. The main purpose of this time change is to provide more daylight hours, which allows us to use less energy in lighting our homes. One big reason the clocks are returned to Standard Time in November is because children would be going to school in the dark as the sun would be rising later in the morning.
Many people enjoy the extra time in the evening. However, Daylight Saving Time is not observed in Hawaii, Arizona, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Somoa and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
Although adding daylight hours does benefit sports, retailing and other activities, the new time causes problems for farming and other occupations relating to the sun. The process also complicates timekeeping, travel and sleep patterns.
Standard time and time zones in the U.S. and Canada were instituted by the railroads in November 1883 to standardize their schedules. Daylight Saving Time actually began during World War I, in 1918. However, the law was so unpopular that it was repealed and only became a local option for a few states.
During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt instituted a “War Time,” from February 1942 to September 1945, which was a year-round Daylight Saving Time.
From 1945 to 1966, there were no federal laws associated with Daylight Saving Time, so states and local governments were free to choose whether to participate in this practice of changing their clocks in the spring.
Due to the inconsistencies of U.S. time, Congress decided to end the confusion of Daylight Saving Time in 1966 by establishing a uniform system. In 1986, legislation was enacted to move clocks forward on the first Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday in October. In 2005, the Energy Policy Act extended Daylight Saving Time to the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday in November.
So, this upcoming Sunday, we will lose that extra hour of sleep, but at least it won’t get dark until after 7 p.m.
SNOW, ANYBODY?
Cliff says he’s been receiving numerous phone calls from residents who say they are “taking their snow tires off.” For those who are considering that, you may want to reconsider, at least for a few weeks.
Our weather here in the Inland Northwest has been pretty good with milder than normal temperatures and a bit more rain to keep the area green. We’ve had a number of days with sunshine and highs well into the 50s. Our first 50-degree day was Feb. 8, so spring did arrive a little early this year.
However, despite the better than usual weather, that does not necessarily mean winter is done. Cliff and I had a long discussion last week about our current weather patterns. We both agree that the Gulf of Alaska is still relatively active with a lot of cold air that is forecast to move southward later this week.
During the normally wet “new moon” cycle, which begins on March 8, we should continue to see a series of storms that will bring mostly rain to the lower elevations. But, it is looking like the air may be cold enough to produce some snow, perhaps even measurable snow, down to the valley floor at some point over the next week to 10 days.
The following week also has the chance of more rain shower activity. Around the “full moon” lunar cycle of March 23 to 30, temperatures may be cool enough again, at least briefly, to give us a chance of some of that white stuff.
As I mentioned earlier, we believe April will be drier and milder than normal. Moisture should start to pick up to near to slightly above normal levels later in May and into early June. Then, high pressure should dominate our region with more sunshine and very warm temperatures.
The summer of 2015 was very hot and dry across the Inland Northwest, leading to a disastrous fire season. For 2016, we still think we’ll have some hot days, but overall, this summer season should not be as hot and not as dry as last year as El Nino weakens. Stay tuned.
Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com