March adds daylight fast, and the change is bigger than most people realize
Daylight saving time begins March 8, but March’s biggest change is the rapid increase in daylight, with some cities adding more than 100 minutes by month’s end.
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March can still deliver wintry weather, but the month comes with a quieter shift that’s easier to notice by the day: The sun hangs around longer in the evening.
The change isn’t subtle, either. By the end of March, many locations will have gained well over an hour of daylight compared with the start of the month, the most dramatic shift for any month of the year.
March is when daylight starts piling up fast
Day length grows every day after the December solstice, but March is when the increase feels like it accelerates.
In New York City, daylight gain is 81 minutes. In Denver, the day grows by 78 minutes. Farther north, the jump is even bigger. Seattle’s day length increases by 103 minutes.
That north-vs-south difference comes down to latitude, and places closer to the poles see larger swings in daylight through the year than places closer to the equator.
Downtown Manhattan skyline is seen during sunset in New York City on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Photo by Selçuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
March also includes the spring equinox on Friday, March 20, when day and night are close to equal length.
Daylight saving time makes the evenings jump
The biggest change on the clock happens on Sunday, March 8, when daylight saving time begins across most of the United States. At 2 a.m., clocks spring forward one hour, making sunrises and sunsets occur an hour later by the clock than the day before.
This doesn’t add daylight by itself — it shifts when people experience it, pushing more usable light into the evening. This shift can benefit businesses that rely on sunlight, such as golf courses, but can also be accompanied by hidden health dangers.
Stronger March sun changes more than the clock
It’s not just the length of the day. By March, the sun is climbing higher in the sky, delivering stronger sunlight than during winter. That can make it harder for snow to accumulate during the daytime unless snow falls heavily.
The stronger sun also creates a different risk: Cars heat up fast, even when the air outside doesn’t feel hot yet.
"Children have died from heatstroke in cars when outside temperatures were as low as 60 degrees," Kids and Car Safety said on its website. "If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. Call 911 immediately. If the child seems hot or sick, get them out of the vehicle as quickly as possible."
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