When will Chicago 'fall back' for the last time?
Chicago - We have lost about four and a half hours of daylight since the summer solstice back on June 21st. The sun started setting for the first time this fall before 6 PM this past weekend. In about two weeks it will start setting before 5 PM. That is when we "fall back" to end daylight saving time on November 6th.
Could this be the last time we have to turn our clocks back in the fall? We will still have to make at least one more adjustment to our clocks just before the start of spring in 2023. We will move them forward an hour on March 12th next year. There is a chance that after next March we may never have to fiddle with our clocks again.
Sunset From The Chain Of Lakes
A bipartisan bill called the Sunshine Protection Act would allow us to stop springing forward and falling back for good. It isn't a done deal. It is waiting on the House for approval and then President Biden's signing it into law. It sailed through the Senate back in March when it was unanimously approved.
According to "The Hill", the measure has hit a "brick wall":
University of Washington law professor Steve Calandrillo says the benefits of permanent daylight saving time include decreased crime rates, increased retail sales, energy savings and fewer traffic fatalities.
We could all sleep a little easier with the change and not just because we wouldn't have to worry anymore about changing our clocks. According to the Sleep Foundation the adjustments to and from daylight saving time creates issues such as "upticks in heart problems, mood disorders, and motor vehicle collisions".
Sunrise From The Von Bergen's Farm In Hebron
One of the downsides to the switch would be the loss of an hour of daylight in the mornings from November right through winter and the end of February. Under the proposal, the sun in Chicago would rise at 8:16 AM on Christmas Day and just begin to rise before 8 AM by February 5th, 2024. On the plus side, after the end of this winter the sun would never go down any earlier than 5:21 (on December 8th of 2023).
Some states aren't waiting to get rid of the biannual clock moves. 20 states (but not yet Illinois) have already either passed a resolution or enacted legislation to keep daylight saving time year round.