After a rough winter in the U.S., any sign of spring coming sooner rather than later is welcome and that includes Daylight Saving Time. Yes, it’s time to move the clocks one hour ahead.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts on Sunday, March 2 at 2 a.m. local time, the National Institute of Standards and Technology explains. It ends on Nov. 2 at 2 a.m.

This extra hour will help us enjoy more hours of daylight during the warmest months of the year. DST has been in practice since 1918 and the rules were last changed in 2007 thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. It aimed to lower energy consumption by extending DST to 238 days.

DST is actually not the standard across the country, as it is not imposed by the federal government, notes The International Business Times. Arizona and Hawaii do not observe DST, along with Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Internationally, only 75 countries observe it. The full list of countries is available at TimeAndDate.com.

So, don’t forget to change your clocks tonight! And remember, it all means that winter is almost over.

image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons