California is in the Pacific Time Zone. You probably already know this, but you may see the Pacific Time Zone referred to using multiple acronyms, often in relation to California. This can cause a lot of confusion so, is the California time zone, PST, PDT, or PT?
Interestingly, it is all three. The main time zone for California is PST. When the state switches over to Daylight Saving Time, it becomes PDT. At all times of the year, it will be PT. This is because PT is a floating time zone and can refer to either PST or PDT.
We know that this may seem a little confusing, so let’s explain.
Pacific Standard Time (PST)
From November to March, California runs on Pacific Standard Time, or PST for short. This time zone is UTC-8.
This is the standard time zone for the area. Or, at least it would be if Daylight Saving Time didn’t exist, which brings us to the next section.
Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)
From April to October, California switches over to PDT. This means that Daylight Saving Time has kicked in. As you know, DST is all about ensuring that workers can get the most out of the daylight. Although, honestly, outside of a few industries it doesn’t matter too much nowadays.
PDT is UTC-7. This is because the clocks will ‘spring’ forward. Under PDT, a person will get an extra hour of daylight every day, or at least that’s the theory.
Pacific Time (PT)
This is where things can get a bit confusing. In almost all cases, you will see the Californian time zone referred to as PT. This does not have a UTC equivalent. PT is just whatever the current time is in California. So, this could be either PST or PDT, depending on the time of the year.
It does make sense to do things this way. It means that anybody reporting times do not have to constantly be wondering whether to include PDT or PST next to the time.
Remember, this applies to all states in the PST time zone. It is exclusive to California. If you are talking about times in any of the states that use PST (including California), then we suggest that you use the PT acronym instead. This is the one that the vast majority of people will be familiar with, and it means that there will be a lot less confusion when you talk about time. After all, most people probably aren’t even aware that PDT is the time zone name given to PST when it is Daylight Saving Time. Most people just assume that the state remains PST throughout the year, just that the clocks move a little.
Final Thoughts
California is PST, PDT, and PT. For the first two acronyms, it will be dependent on the time of the year i.e. PDT is only used for Daylight Saving Time. PT refers to both time zones. No matter what time of the year it is in California, the time will always be PT.
