Clocks Fall Back Sunday, Nov. 1: Time Change and Smoke Alarm Checklist for Central Minnesota

Daylight saving time ends this weekend. At 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, clocks in Minnesota and most of the U.S. go back one hour to 1 a.m. You get an extra hour of sleep, and sunrise and sunset both come about an hour earlier than the day before, so expect darker evening commutes in central Minnesota starting Sunday.

What to do before bed Saturday

• Set clocks back one hour. Phones and most computers update on their own. Check the clocks that don’t: the stove, microwave, car, wall clocks and older alarm clocks.
• Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. The Minnesota State Fire Marshal recommends using the fall and spring time changes as a reminder to replace alarm batteries, including the backup batteries in hard-wired alarms. Alarms with 10-year sealed batteries don’t need new batteries.
• Test them every month by pressing the test button.
• Look at the date on the back. The State Fire Marshal says to replace smoke alarms every 10 years and CO alarms every five to seven years.

Where alarms should be

• Smoke alarms: in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. Interconnected alarms all sound when one does.
• CO alarms: within 10 feet of each sleeping room, or inside each sleeping room.
• If a CO alarm sounds, get everyone out right away and call 911 from outside.
• As snow arrives, keep furnace, dryer, fireplace and other vents clear so carbon monoxide can’t build up inside.

Darker evenings

With sunset an hour earlier, more of the evening drive home and after-school walks will happen in the dark. It’s a good week to check headlights, wear something reflective when walking or biking, and watch for trick-or-treaters on Halloween night, Saturday, Oct. 31.

Daylight saving time starts again on Sunday, March 14, 2027, when clocks spring forward one hour.

Sources: NIST daylight saving time rules; timeanddate.com; Minnesota State Fire Marshal smoke and CO alarm tips.

Please confirm details yourself with the official source before acting on them.

Music by illuminet: Watch “God I Miss Those Days” by StarShot.Rocks on the illuminet Creative YouTube channel.