What is CDT (Central Daylight Time)?
CDT is the daylight-saving form of the U.S. Central time zone, fixed at UTC −5 from mid-March to early November.
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CDT — Central Daylight Time — is the daylight-saving form of the United States Central time zone. It runs at UTC −5:00, exactly one hour ahead of Central Standard Time (CST). The Central zone uses CST during winter and CDT during summer.
CDT in one sentence
CDT is the summer clock used by Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, New Orleans and most of the U.S. Central zone — UTC −5:00, observed from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November.
How CDT relates to other U.S. zones
| Zone | UTC offset | One-line description |
|---|---|---|
| EDT | UTC −4 | Eastern Daylight (NYC, Atlanta) — 1 hr ahead of CDT |
| EST | UTC −5 | Eastern Standard — same offset as CDT, but used in winter |
| CDT | UTC −5 | Central Daylight — Chicago summer clock |
| CST | UTC −6 | Central Standard — Chicago winter clock |
| MDT | UTC −6 | Mountain Daylight (Denver) — 1 hr behind CDT |
| PDT | UTC −7 | Pacific Daylight (LA) — 2 hrs behind CDT |
When does CDT begin and end?
- Spring forward: Second Sunday in March at 02:00 — clocks jump from 01:59 CST to 03:00 CDT.
- Fall back: First Sunday in November at 02:00 — clocks roll back from 01:59 CDT to 01:00 CST.
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Which states are on CDT?
The U.S. Central time zone covers a huge swath of the country. States fully on Central Time include:
- Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wisconsin
States partly on Central Time:
- Texas (most of it), Tennessee (western half), Kentucky (western half), Indiana (a few western counties), Michigan (a few western counties), Florida (panhandle), Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota (eastern halves)
CDT outside the United States
CDT is also observed in central parts of Mexico — though Mexico abolished daylight saving time for most regions in 2022, so the alignment isn't year-round anymore. A handful of Central American countries used to observe a CDT-equivalent during their summer.
Common things people search for
- CDT vs CST — what's the difference?
- CDT vs EST — Central vs Eastern compared
- CDT vs EDT — both are DST clocks, but one hour apart
- Full list of states on CDT
- Where in the world CDT is used
Frequently asked questions
What does CDT stand for?
CDT stands for Central Daylight Time — the daylight-saving variant of the United States Central time zone.
What is the UTC offset of CDT?
CDT is UTC −5:00. During winter, the same Central zone uses Central Standard Time (CST) which is UTC −6:00.
When does CDT start and end?
CDT begins on the second Sunday in March at 02:00 local time when clocks "spring forward". It ends on the first Sunday in November at 02:00 when clocks "fall back" to CST.
Which countries use CDT?
CDT is observed across most of the U.S. Central time zone (Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, North Dakota and South Dakota), plus central Mexico and a handful of Central American countries.
Is CDT the same as Mexico City time?
During the U.S. summer DST window, CDT (UTC −5) overlaps with Mexico City's daylight time. Since 2022, Mexico stopped observing DST in most regions, so the alignment is no longer year-round.