Permanent Daylight Saving Time: Official Sunrise Times for Acadiana

(KMDL-FM)  The battle over time and how we keep it is still raging in the halls of the United States Congress. Yeah, even after we've been telling 'the hired hands" we elected that we didn't want to switch the clocks twice a year, they still haven't leaped to eliminate the clock conundrum from our calendars. The House did pass a measure yesterday. 

Daylight Saving Time has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I do recall, back in the gas shortage days of the 70s, when we moved the time change earlier in the year than usual, and for the first time in my life I was going to school in the dark. I realize that's a common occurrence for many Louisiana students these days.

The Current Proposal Asks for Permanent Daylight Saving Time

Jon Tyson via Unsplash.com

Just so we are clear on what our government is considering, the current legislation proposes "permanent Daylight Saving Time". That would mean UTC-5 for the Central Time Zone. UTC is Coordinated Universal Time and is the primary time standard to synchronize clocks, watches, networks, and time zones globally.

Since Louisiana is currently in the Central Time Zone, DST (Daylight Saving Time), we would not adjust our clocks at all. But if we move to a permanent DST, we will likely have to adjust our lives and lifestyles a lot.

Here are Reasons Why Louisiana Might Not Like Permanent Daylight Saving Time

A bus drives at night under a dark sky.

Here's how "permanent Daylight Saving Time" would impact sunrise and sunset on special days in South Louisiana. Halloween, October 31st, the sun would rise at 8:21 in the morning. It would be light enough to see outside by about 7:55. And since darkness is needed for a spooky Halloween, you will want to know that the sunset in a permanent DST scenario would be 7:21.  In this example, it wouldn't be "good dark" until 7:45.

On Thanksgiving Day, the sun would rise at ten minutes before 9 in the morning. The sun would set at 6:11 that night. But can you imagine watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in the dark? That would be our reality.

The Sun Won't Rise Until When on Christmas Morning?

man sitting while biting multicolored string lights

On Christmas Eve, the sun wouldn't set until 6:15, but maybe even more concerning for children with new toys, the sun wouldn't rise on Christmas Morning until 9:05. Can you imagine being a kid with a new bike and having to wait and then wait some more just to be able to see well enough to ride it outside?

READ MORE: 10 Great Places for Late Night Eats in Lafayette

And finally, how would permanent DST affect Mardi Gras? Sunrise on Mardi Gras would be at 7:53, almost 8 am. There should be more than enough sunlight to light the parade routes when the revelers hit the streets around 10 am. It might make float preparations the morning of Mardi Gras interesting because a lot of that would have to be done in the dark.

person riding on tractor surrounded by peoples

Again, this is not something that can't be overcome, and to be honest, most events won't have to adjust that much. Some probably will, but the biggest growing pain that the majority of us will feel will be the added darkness to our winter morning schedule.

READ MORE: When Does School Start in South Louisiana? Here's the Answer

There will be a lot of kids being dropped off for school while it's still very dark, and that might prove to be a little unsettling for some parents. It will also mean added safety concerns around bus stops and school zones, as the combination of school-time traffic and darkness could create scenarios where safety standards might need to be reviewed.

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Regardless, it will be interesting to see if what we asked for was really what we wanted. But then again, our track record with common sense lately hasn't been that good.