How Permanent Daylight Savings Would Change Winter in Maine

It's a twice-a-year tradition in Maine. You have to complain about moving your clocks forward and losing an hour of sleep or setting the clock backwards and gaining an hour.

The changing of the clocks in Maine and throughout most of the country has been going on for decades as a way to maximize daylight during 'working' hours.

But there's been a strong movement in recent years to simply stick with daylight savings time permanently and no longer alter the clocks from November through March.

Maine Would Wake Up to Darkness Throughout Most of the Winter

According to The Hill, if the Sunshine Protection Act passes through the Senate, Maine is one of 19 states in the nation that will immediately enact the change.

snow covered trees during sunset

That means the winter of 2026 would look drastically different when it comes to sunrises and sunsets.

With permanent daylight savings time, the majority of sunrises in Maine would occur between 8am and 9am for the entirety of the winter. Morning commutes will mostly be in darkness as well as school commutes for children.

The flip side is the sun will almost exclusively set in the 5pm hour during the winter. Later sunsets would leave more daylight for the afternoon and evening for commuters and outdoor after school activities.

Safety Concerns Ended Permanent Daylight Savings Time in the 1970's

Many residents of Maine are old enough to remember when permanent daylight savings time was a thing in the 1970's.

Over the course of a year during that decade, late winter sunrises created concerns for parents over safety issues.

Children that walked to school did so in complete darkness and morning commutes became significantly more dangerous. Permanent daylight savings time lost public favor in the mid-70's.

It's unclear if the Sunshine Protection Act will pass fully in Congress. If it does, be prepared for a very different winter in Maine.