There are many misconceptions about the time zones in the United States. Most people think that there are only four time zones, when there are actually five. This blog post will discuss the difference between Central and Pacific Time, and how they both affect different parts of the country.
What is Central Time?
Central Time is the time zone for the central region of the United States, including cities such as Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis. Central Time is one hour behind the Eastern Time Zone and one hour ahead of the Mountain Time Zone. Central Standard Time (CST) is the standard time used in the Central Time Zone during winter months, while Central Daylight Time (CDT) is used during summer months. Central Time is typically abbreviated as “CT” or “C”.
What is Pacific Time?
Pacific Time is the name of a time zone in the United States that covers the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho. The zone is eight hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and five hours behind East Coast time. Pacific Time is also sometimes abbreviated as PT. The Pacific Time Zone was created in 1883 by the Standard Time Act, which established four time zones across the country.
Pacific Time is generally considered to be the standard time for the West Coast of the United States. daylight saving time (DST), Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), is observed from March to November each year. During DST, the clocks are set one hour ahead of Pacific Standard Time. Pacific Time is also used in Canada, Mexico, and parts of Central America. In these regions, it is usually abbreviated as PST. Pacific Time should not be confused with Pacific Standard Time (PST), which is the standard time for the Pacific coast of Canada.
Difference between Central and Pacific Time
- Central Time is one hour ahead of Pacific Time. Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), while Central Daylight Saving Time (CDT) is five hours behind GMT. Central Timezone covers parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, and some Caribbean islands.
- On the other hand, Pacific Time (PT) is eight hours behind GMT. PT covers most of the western part of North America and some parts of South America. Mexico’s Baja California Sur, which includes the cities of La Paz and Los Cabos, observe Mountain Standard Time all year long, even though it geographically belongs to Pacific Timezone. Furthermore, Central and Pacific time zones are internally divided into smaller regions like Eastern Standard Time (EST) and Mountain Standard Time (MST), among others.
- Central and Pacific time zones do not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST). To sum it up, Central Time is one hour ahead of Pacific Time but both time zones internally have their own smaller regions which may or may not observe DST. Central Timezone covers more geographical area than Pacific Timezone.
Conclusion
The time difference between Central and Pacific Time can be confusing for those not familiar with it. Hopefully, this article has cleared up any confusion and you now have a better understanding of the two time zones.
