Halifax time zone history
Clocks have been changed 114 times since 1970, tied for the most among the 19 zones on UTC−4 standard time. Clocks were first moved for daylight saving in 1916, tied for the earliest start among the 20 zones in Canada.
UTC−4
Standard time is UTC−4 (ADT/AST); clocks go forward to UTC−3 on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November.
Summer time in every year since 1970
Before 1970
Standard time changes
| Date | Change | New standard time | Clock label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1970 | |||
| June 15, 1902 | Local mean time (UTC−4:14:24) replaced | UTC−4 | AST |
Daylight saving periods
| Years | Clocks go forward | Clocks go back | Shift and labels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1970 | |||
| 1916 | April 1 | October 1 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1918 | April 14 | October 27 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1920 | May 9 | August 29 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1921 | May 6 | September 5 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1922 | April 30 | September 5 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1923 | May 6 | September 4 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1924 | May 4 | September 15 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1925 | May 3 | September 28 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1926 | May 16 | September 13 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1927 | May 1 | September 26 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1928 | May 13 | September 9 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1929 | May 12 | September 3 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1930 | May 11 | September 15 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1931 | May 10 | September 28 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1932 | May 1 | September 26 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1933 | April 30 | October 2 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1934 | May 20 | September 16 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1935 | June 2 | September 30 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1936 | June 1 | September 14 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1937–1938 | first Sunday in May, 00:00 | fourth Monday in September, 00:00 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1939 | May 28 | September 25 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1940–1941 | first Sunday in May, 00:00 | last Monday in September, 00:00 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1942 | February 9 | not that year | 1 hour, AST to AWT |
| 1945 | not that year | September 30 | 1 hour |
| 1946–1949 | last Sunday in April, 02:00 | last Sunday in September, 02:00 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1951–1954 | last Sunday in April, 02:00 | last Sunday in September, 02:00 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1956–1959 | last Sunday in April, 02:00 | last Sunday in September, 02:00 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 1962–1986 | last Sunday in April, 02:00 | last Sunday in October, 02:00 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| Since 1970 | |||
| 1987–2006 | first Sunday in April, 02:00 | last Sunday in October, 02:00 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
| 2007–2037 | second Sunday in March, 02:00 | first Sunday in November, 02:00 | 1 hour, AST to ADT |
Clock changes in 2026, 2027 and 2028
The clocks go forward 1 hour (AST to ADT) on March 8, 2026, March 14, 2027 and March 12, 2028 at 02:00 and back 1 hour (ADT to AST) on November 1, 2026, November 7, 2027 and November 5, 2028 at 02:00, local time.
Also on UTC−4
Moncton (Canada), Glace Bay (Canada), Goose Bay (Canada), Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Martinique, Barbados, Pituffik (Thule) (Greenland) and Venezuela (nearest first; 8 more on the list of offsets).
Clocks next door since 1970
- Moncton (186 km): same time except 184 days in 1973 and 1993–2006.
- Glace Bay (333 km): same time except 371 days in 1970 and 1971.
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon (623 km): usually 1 hour ahead; different on 5,060 days in 1970–2026.
- St. John’s (899 km): usually 30 minutes ahead; different on 216 days in 1970–2026.
- New York (United States) (956 km): usually 1 hour behind; different on 180 days in 1970–2026.
How it compares
Standard time has stayed at UTC−4 since 1902.
On standard time, clocks in Halifax run 14 minutes ahead of local mean solar time.