Nearest Airport to Alabama
Huntsville International Airport (HSV / KHSV) is a regional airport located about 20 km (13 mi) from Huntsville, the main city in Alabama.
Current local time at the airport is 18:58:59.
Daylight saving time changes in Alabama, United States
Alabama has 2 listed IANA time zones. 2 observe daylight saving time changes in 2026.
Next change: November 1, 2026
Clock moves back from 02:00 to 01:00 local time.
Best Time to Call Alabama
Business hours in Alabama (9 AM-5 PM local time) fall at these local times elsewhere:
- Sao Paulo: 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM ( Convenient)
- Frankfurt: 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM (next day) ( Partial overlap)
- Johannesburg: 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM (next day) ( Partial overlap)
- Singapore: 10:00 PM - 6:00 AM (next day) ( Outside normal hours)
- Hong Kong: 10:00 PM - 6:00 AM (next day) ( Outside normal hours)
- Istanbul: 5:00 PM - 1:00 AM (next day) ( Partial overlap)
- Auckland: 3:00 AM (next day) - 11:00 AM (next day) ( Outside normal hours)
Times shown reflect current UTC offsets and may shift by up to an hour around daylight saving transitions.
Time Difference from Alabama
Compare time in Alabama with major cities worldwide.
Current Time in Cities of Alabama, United States
About Time in Alabama
Alabama Keeps Getting Almost Eclipsed
Alabama has watched two major total solar eclipses pass just outside its borders within less than a decade, and neither one gave the state true totality. In August 2017, the path crossed from Nashville toward Columbia, South Carolina, skimming just north and east of Alabama, leaving Huntsville with 97 percent coverage and Birmingham with 93 percent, both dramatic but not the real thing. Meteorologists and University of Alabama astronomers were careful to remind residents that even a 99 percent partial eclipse looks nothing like the darkness and visible corona of true totality.
The April 2024 eclipse repeated the pattern, with its path running through Texas and Arkansas before angling toward the northeast, leaving Alabama once again on the outside looking in. Coverage that time ranged from about 73 percent to 93 percent depending on location, with the Shoals region of northwest Alabama getting the closest look and the Dothan area in the southeast getting the least.
Alabama's patience will finally pay off. University of Alabama astronomers project that the total solar eclipse of August 12, 2045 will pass directly over Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, and Dothan, the first time in the modern era that genuine totality will fall on Alabama's own major cities rather than sweeping past just over the state line.
Nearly Unanimous, and Still Waiting
Few pieces of Alabama legislation have passed with less resistance than Senate Bill 388 in 2021. The bill, which would move the state to permanent Daylight Saving Time the moment federal law allows it, cleared the Alabama Senate 29 to 0 without a single dissenting vote, then passed the House 93 to 1. Governor Kay Ivey signed it into law on May 13, 2021.
Alabama has not simply waited quietly since then. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville became one of the lead co-sponsors of the federal Sunshine Protection Act alongside Florida's Marco Rubio, reintroducing the bill in Congress after an earlier version passed the Senate by unanimous consent in 2022 but died without a House vote. When the House finally passed a new version on July 14, 2026, by a bipartisan 308 to 117 margin, Tuberville posted online almost immediately, thanking the House and publicly asking why the Senate itself was still holding up his own bill.
If the Senate eventually follows the House and the President signs the measure into law, Alabama's already signed 2021 statute would need no further action at all. The clocks would simply stop falling back every November, five years after the state legislature had already said yes almost unanimously.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time zone is Alabama in?
Alabama does not keep a single clock. Its territory uses 2 different UTC offsets: UTC-5 (CDT), UTC-4 (EDT). Huntsville, the main city, follows America/Chicago, so check the local time of a specific city before planning a call or a trip.
Is the time in Alabama the same as in Washington?
No. Huntsville, the main city of Alabama, is currently 1 hour behind Washington, the capital of United States.
Do clocks change in Alabama?
Yes. The next clock change in Alabama is on November 1, 2026, when clocks move back from 02:00 to 01:00 local time.
What is the main city of Alabama?
Huntsville is the main city of Alabama, with a population of about 215,006. The time, sunrise and sunset shown on this page are based on Huntsville.
Which airport is closest to Huntsville?
Huntsville International Airport (HSV) is about 20 km (13 mi) from Huntsville. Flight arrival and departure times there are shown in local time.
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