Time to ‘fall back’ means it’s also time to check those smoke alarms
The same time to set your clocks back for daylight saving time is a great time to assure your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are in order.
Sunny spring evenings are just a few days away.
This weekend, clocks will “spring forward” as Milwaukee switches to daylight saving time for spring and summer.
That means you lose an hour of sleep the night before, but the city gains an extra hour of light in the evenings starting March 8, when the sun will set at 6:49 p.m., according to timeanddate.com.
The seasonal change often reignites debates about whether daylight saving time should exist at all. Though the time adjustment allows for more daylight during spring and summer evenings, many experts have argued it disturbs the body’s circadian rhythms and has other health drawbacks.
Here’s what to know as daylight saving time approaches.
When does daylight saving time start?
Daylight saving time will resume on Sunday, March 8. Clocks will jump forward one hour between 2 and 3 a.m., meaning there will be more light in the evening and less light in the morning.
When does daylight saving time end?
Daylight saving time will end for the season on Sunday, Nov. 1, when clocks are turned back an hour at 2 a.m.
What is daylight saving time?
Between March and November, Wisconsin residents set their clocks forward by an hour to gain more daylight in the evenings. During the other four months of the year, the clocks fall back to allow for more daylight in the mornings.
Daylight saving time was enacted during World War I in an attempt to save on fuel costs by adding an extra hour of sunlight to the day. While it’s a common misconception, its creation had nothing to do with allowing farmers to work longer hours, and the agriculture industry actually “fervently opposed” the measure, according to the Library of Congress.
When is the first 7 p.m. sunset of 2026 in Milwaukee?
Milwaukee will get its first 7 p.m. sunset of the year on Tuesday, March 17, according to timeanddate.com.
That day, the sun will rise at 7 a.m. that day and set at 7 p.m.
Why do some people want to end daylight saving time?
In the decades since daylight saving time was enacted, politicians, sleep experts and farmers have all pushed to change the practice, either by eliminating daylight saving time or making it permanent year-round.
In 2020, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine said the United States should “eliminate seasonal time changes in favor of a national, fixed, year-round time.” Daylight saving time disrupts the circadian rhythms of the human body, and the abrupt time change has been linked to higher risk of mood disorders and heart diseases, according to the organization.
The risk of vehicle crashes also increases each spring when drivers are especially sleep deprived after losing an hour of rest, the academy said.
As of October 2025, 19 states have enacted legislation to observe daylight saving time year-round, if Congress were to allow such a change, and two states and several territories observe permanent standard time year-round, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Over the years, some Wisconsin lawmakers have also drafted legislation to end daylight saving time, but those efforts have stalled.
