Samoa time zone history
The largest single move came on December 30, 2011, when clocks went forward 24 hours, from UTC−10 to UTC+14. The record holds 7 different UTC offsets, tied third-most among all 312 zones. Mean solar time at Apia is about UTC−11:27, so the clock on UTC+13 runs a calendar day ahead of the sun, plus 27 minutes.
UTC+13
Standard time is UTC+13 all year under the current rules.
Summer time in 12 of 57 years since 1970
Before 1970
Standard time changes
| Date | Change | New standard time | Clock label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1970 | |||
| July 5, 1892 | Standard time back 24 hours | UTC−11:26:56 | LMT |
| January 1, 1911 | Local mean time (UTC−11:26:56) replaced | UTC−11:30 | numeric only |
| January 1, 1950 | Standard time forward 30 minutes | UTC−11 | numeric only |
| Since 1970 | |||
| December 30, 2011 | Standard time forward 24 hours | UTC+13 | numeric only |
Daylight saving periods
| Years | Clocks go forward | Clocks go back | Shift and labels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | September 26 | not that year | 1 hour |
| 2011 | September 24 | April 2 | 1 hour |
| 2012–2020 | last Sunday in September, 03:00 | first Sunday in April, 04:00 | 1 hour |
| 2021 | not that year | April 4 | 1 hour |
Also on UTC+13
Clocks next door since 1970
- American Samoa (121 km): same time except 5,766 days in 2010–2026; 24 hours behind today.
- Tokelau (500 km): same time except 2,078 days in 2010–2021.
- Niue (608 km): same time except 5,766 days in 2010–2026; 24 hours behind today.
- Tonga (891 km): usually 24 hours ahead; different on 6,097 days in 1999–2002 and 2010–2026; same time today.
- Fiji (1,156 km): usually 23 hours ahead; different on 5,914 days in 1998–2000 and 2009–2026; 1 hour behind today.
How it compares
Daylight saving time was used in 12 years since 1970, last in 2021; under the current rules the clocks no longer change.
The latest change of standard time came on December 30, 2011, from UTC−11 to UTC+13.
On standard time, clocks in Apia run 27 minutes ahead of local mean solar time.