The latest 6 a.m. change you probably didn’t notice in NJ

Something has changed throughout the Great Garden State, and it involves something that has happened during the morning hours. Have you noticed?

Probably not, and that's OK. After all, it wasn't any kind of change that would jump right into your face right away. Still, it's worth noting that up until the first weekend of August 2024, this wasn't the case.

However, the second weekend of August 2024 was a different story. No, it had nothing to do with the weather. It didn't matter what the skies were or what the temperature was.

And just to get this one out of the way now. No, it has nothing to do with any kind of changes in the climate.

"Times" have changed

And no, it has nothing to do with falling back or springing forward. Although, it is true that if we were in standard time this wouldn't be an issue.

So what is it that you probably missed at 6 in the morning? All you need to do is look up at the sky... at 6 a.m.

The sunset is no longer before 6. From here on out, that sunrise will march further and further from 6 a.m. as the fall season approaches. We won't see a 6 a.m. or earlier sunrise again until late April 2025.

Now, if we would've kept standard time year-round, sunrises would've remained before 6 a.m. until early October. In fact, maybe we should just do away with the time changes altogether. It would make things easier.

When does Daylight Saving End?

Daylight Saving Time officially ends on Sunday, November 3, 2024. That's when we repeat the 2 a.m. hour and get that extra hour of sleep. It's also when we get a little lighter in the mornings once again. And at that point of the year, we really need that shift.

Sunrise will be just shy of 7:30 a.m. on November 2. And let's be real, nobody wants to be getting ready for the day when the sun isn't up yet. If anything, we should be falling back at the beginning of October, which is only a couple of weeks after summer officially ends.

Or, how about this? Why not get rid of Daylight Saving Time altogether? We really don't need it anymore, so why keep it? Standard Time year-round just makes more sense.

An endless debate

Whether we like it or not, those days continue to get shorter and shorter until the start of winter. At least the days are still longer than the nights... for now.

But when it comes to time, here's the deal. This is a debate that'll never end. Maybe we'll eventually shift the clock change by a week or two, but that's about it. We've tried year-round Daylight Standard Time in the past and it failed. Why not just keep it standard?

I'm sure we'll be hearing more about that debate in the coming weeks. For now, it's farewell to 6 a.m. and earlier sunrises until next year. And just to note - As of the third weekend of August, we say farewell to sunsets occurring after 8 p.m.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.