Eastern Daylight Saving Time Now 

What Is Eastern Daylight Time? 

To understand what Eastern Daylight Time means, we must be aware of the locations where it is utilized. It acts as a time zone in the easternmost part of the US and the second in Canada. 

This time zone encompasses almost 23 states in the US and functions over three provinces or regions in Canada. Apart from these two major countries, it is also used in the Caribbean. 

Close to half of the US population live in the EDT time zone. The time zone covers northern Canada to Haiti. 

In North America, Atlantic Daylight Time(ADT) in the east and Central Daylight Time (CDT) in the west share a border with Eastern Standard Time. 

EDT Duration

During Daylight Saving Time (DST), the North American time zone – Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) – is employed from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. For the remaining year, Eastern Standard Time (EST) is made use of. 

EDT As the Eastern Time Zone 

On a routine basis, EDT is referred to as Eastern Time (ET) or the Eastern Time Zone. This adds confusion in terms of differentiating between standard time and Daylight Saving Time as the term Eastern Time does not provide a clear justification.

This leads to an interchanging use between EST and EDT in terms of Eastern Time, especially in areas that use DST during that part of the year.

There are generic terms for many North American time zones as well. These include Pacific Time (PT), Mountain Time (MT), Central Time (CT), and Atlantic Time (AT). 

What Exactly is Daylight Saving Time?

Daylight saving time for the Eastern Time Zone was put in place after the Uniform Time Act of 1966 was passed in the US. The act made it clear that DST would function from the last Sunday of April until the last Sunday of October.

Later, in 1987, the act was revised in order to choose the first Sunday in April as the beginning of daylight saving time. 

Later in 2007, the extended daylight saving started changing in the United States of America at 2 am EST to 3 am EDT on the second Sunday in March and returned from 2 am EDT to 1 am EST on the first Sunday in November. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you convert EDT into CDT? 

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is approximately 1 hour ahead of Central Daylight Time (CDT). So to convert, simply subtract one hour from EDT. 

How do you convert EDT to MSDT? 

Eastern Daylight Time is almost 2 hours ahead of Mountain Daylight Time (MSDT), so for the conversion, you just need to subtract 2 hours from the current Eastern Daylight Time zone. 

How do you convert EDT to PDT? 

Eastern Daylight Time, denoted as EDT, is 3 hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time, abbreviated as PDT. If you want to convert EDT to PDT, just subtract three hours from EDT. 

Are EDT and EST the same? 

EST stands for Eastern Standard time, whereas EDT stands for Eastern Daylight Time. Both of these time zones are applicable in different seasons/parts of the year, but at the same time, they are collectively a part of the “Eastern Timezone” used in the same area. 

Is EDT ahead or behind EST? 

During the Daylight Saving Time DST, the clocks are moved forward by approximately one hour to the Eastern Daylight Time, abbreviated as EDT that is almost 4 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-4).

When the Summer Time ends, the Eastern Time is usually shifted back by 1 hour to Eastern Standard Time (EST), which is 5 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. (GMT-5).

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