Central Time (CST/CDT)
View current time now in the Central Time Zone (USA and Canada)
Daylight Saving Time (DST) rules and GMT/UTC offset (time difference)
Convert Central to Local
GMT Time converter, compare Local and Central. Enter your location or any placename for more comparisons.
Chicago, Little Rock, Houston, New Orleans, Milwaukee. All observe DST rules.
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Current daylight saving dates for USA
STANDARD TIME
- Standard Time began: Sunday 3 November 2019 02:00 local time. Clocks went back one hour.
- Standard Time ends: Sunday 8 March 2020 02:00 local time. Clocks go forward one hour.
USA and Canada past and future DST schedules here
Daylight Saving 2019In Summer: Central Daylight Time (CDT)
Central Standard Time (CST) = GMT-6 Central Daylight Time (CDT) = GMT-5
What is the Central Time Zone?
The Central Timezone is an area 6 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-6) during the winter months (referred to as CST) and 5 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-5) during the summer months (referred to as CDT). At the moment, the following schedule is used:
From 2 A.M. on the second Sunday in March to 2 A.M. on the first Sunday in November, Daylight Saving Time is in effect. At all other times, Standard Time is in effect.
NB The Canadian province of Saskatchewan does not adopt Daylight Saving Time and remains on CST or GMT-6 all year.
Do clocks in the Central Time Zone observe Daylight Saving Time?
In most states in the USA and in most provinces in Canada, Daylight-Saving Time (DST) is observed. During DST the time is shifted forward by 1 hour to Central Daylight Time (CDT); which is 5 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-5).
After the Summer months Central Time is shifted back by 1 hour to US Central Standard Time (CST) or (GMT-6).
