Time in Arizona facts for kids
Arizona is a state in the United States that uses a special time rule. Most of Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (MST) all year long. This means they do not change their clocks for daylight saving time, unlike many other places.
Mountain Standard Time is seven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-07:00). Think of UTC as the main clock for the whole world. So, if it's 7:00 PM UTC, it's 12:00 PM (noon) in Arizona.
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Arizona's Unique Time Zone
Arizona's time zone is a bit different from most of the United States. While many states move their clocks forward one hour in spring and back one hour in fall for daylight saving time, Arizona does not. This means that for part of the year, Arizona is on the same time as Pacific Daylight Time. For the rest of the year, it's on Mountain Standard Time.
What is Mountain Standard Time?
Mountain Standard Time, or MST, is one of the time zones used in North America. It covers states like Colorado, New Mexico, and parts of Idaho and Montana. It's called "Mountain" because it covers areas where the Rocky Mountains are located.
Why Doesn't Arizona Use Daylight Saving Time?
Daylight saving time was created to save energy and give people more daylight in the evenings. However, Arizona is a very hot state, especially in the summer. People there want less sunlight in the evening, not more! They prefer to do outdoor activities in the cooler mornings. So, not changing the clocks helps them avoid even hotter evenings.
The state tried daylight saving time in the past, but it didn't work well for them. In 1968, Arizona decided to stop using it. This means that from March to November, when other states are on daylight saving time, Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time.
There is one important exception in Arizona: the Navajo Nation. This is a large area of land where the Navajo people live. Parts of the Navajo Nation are in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. To keep things simple for the Navajo people who live and work across these states, the Navajo Nation *does* observe daylight saving time. This helps them stay on the same time as other parts of their nation.
