What time is it in Arizona?

Posted by Donna Dailey Apr 12, 2008

For the last month I've been asked the same question over and over again. What time is it in Arizona?

It's the same every year. Because we don't "spring forward" like the rest of the US and the UK, nobody can remember when to phone me. And I confess I have trouble keeping track of the changes myself, especially now that the US has extended the start and end of its Daylight Saving Time. So for several weeks of the year, we're out of sync with the rest of the world.

With the exception of the Navajo Nation, which lies in the northeast part of the state and extends into New Mexico and Utah, Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time. Neither does Hawaii.

Why not? I wondered. Who wouldn't want an extra hour of daylight? It seemed a good idea to Benjamin Franklin, who first proposed the idea back in 1784 on the grounds that it would save on candles. It's even more environmentally sound today, when using less electricity and saving oil is even more paramount.

Arizona did, in fact, observe Daylight Saving Time during World War I and World War II, when conserving energy for the war effort was a national mandate. But when the current federal law implementing it was passed in 1973, Arizona citizens lobbied for an exemption.

The reason was simple. Summertime in Arizona is just too hot, and people wait till after dark to enjoy any evening activities. On the worst days temperatures can still read over 100 degrees well after the sun goes down.

Anyone who works outdoors - farmers, for example - knows that the coolest temperatures are in the early morning, so that's when extra daylight is most welcome. And that's why Arizona doesn't have Daylight Saving Time.