Israel to Shift to Winter Time One Week Before US in 2026

In 2026, Israel will transition to winter time on Sunday, October 25th, a full week before the United States makes its own shift on Sunday, November 1st. This discrepancy will result in a temporary change in the time difference between Israel and various US time zones for seven days.

During this week, the time difference with Chicago will decrease from eight hours to seven, with Denver it will shrink from nine to eight hours, and with Los Angeles it will reduce from ten hours to nine. These changes are due to Israel's earlier switch to standard time.

Most of the United States observes Daylight Saving Time from March 8th to November 1st. On November 1st, at 2:00 AM local time, clocks in most of the US will be set back one hour. However, not all of the US participates in this time change. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe Daylight Saving Time and will therefore remain on their standard time year-round. Several US territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam, also do not observe Daylight Saving Time.

Following the US switch on November 1st, the standard time differences will be restored: Israel will be seven hours ahead of New York, eight hours ahead of Chicago, nine hours ahead of Denver, and ten hours ahead of Los Angeles. The time difference with Arizona and Hawaii will also adjust differently due to their non-observance of Daylight Saving Time, decreasing by one hour when Israel switches on October 25th and remaining at that new difference.