Travel Time To Phoenix: How Long Does It Take?

Phoenix, Arizona, is a city in the United States located in the Mountain Standard Time (MST) zone, which is UTC/GMT -7 hours. The time in Phoenix is currently two hours behind Washington, DC. Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and is located in Maricopa County.

Time difference from Washington DC

Phoenix, Arizona and Washington, D.C. do not observe Daylight Saving Time. However, Phoenix is in the Mountain Standard Time (MST) zone, while Washington, D.C. is in the Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone. This means that during part of the year, when Daylight Saving Time is not being observed, Phoenix is two hours behind Washington, D.C.

When Daylight Saving Time is being observed, Phoenix moves to the Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) zone, and Washington, D.C. moves to the Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) zone. During this time, Phoenix is three hours behind Washington, D.C.

The time difference between Phoenix and Washington, D.C. depends on the time of year and whether Daylight Saving Time is being observed. The average flight time from Phoenix to Washington, D.C. is around 4 hours, but the total travel time, including time spent at the airport, is closer to 7 hours.

If you're planning a trip between these two cities, it's important to factor in the time difference and plan your travel accordingly. The flight duration and time difference can impact your travel plans, especially if you have connecting flights or need to be in Washington, D.C. at a specific time.

Additionally, if you're driving between Phoenix and Washington, D.C., the trip can take over 33 hours, so it's essential to plan your route and make necessary arrangements for rest stops along the way.

Time zones

Phoenix, Arizona, is in the Mountain Standard Time (MST) zone, also known as Mountain Time. This time zone is UTC/GMT -7 hours, meaning that it is seven hours behind the UTC/GMT time.

In 2025, Phoenix does not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST). This means that throughout the year, the time in Phoenix is consistently seven hours behind UTC/GMT. This is in contrast to some other locations that adjust their clocks forward or backward by one hour during the spring and fall seasons as part of DST.

The absence of DST in Phoenix is a standard feature of the Mountain Standard Time zone. This consistency in timekeeping means that throughout the year, the time in Phoenix is always calculated as two hours behind Washington, DC, which observes Eastern Standard Time (EST) during a portion of the year and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) during the other months.

The Mountain Standard Time zone encompasses not just Arizona but also portions of neighbouring states. For example, cities such as Henderson, Las Vegas, and Albuquerque are all within the MST zone, despite being located in Nevada and New Mexico, respectively.

Daylight Saving Time

The flight time to Phoenix, Arizona, depends on your departure location. For example, a flight from New York to Phoenix is approximately 5 hours, while a flight from Seattle to Phoenix is around 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST). With the exception of the Navajo Nation, Arizona does not set its clocks forward by 1 hour in spring for DST with the rest of the United States. Almost all of Arizona remains on Mountain Standard Time (MST) all year round. The time zone has a UTC offset of minus 7 hours (UTC-7).

The Navajo Nation, a semi-autonomous Native American territory, follows the United States' DST schedule. It lies in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. During DST, the Navajo Nation sets its clocks forward by 1 hour to Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), which is 6 hours behind UTC (UTC-6).

The Hopi Nation, which lies within the Navajo Nation, follows Arizona's no-DST rule. There is also a small Navajo Nation territory within the Hopi Nation, and a Hopi area adjacent to the main Hopi Nation territory, which further complicates the time differences in the region.

Arizona is exempt from DST according to the US Energy Policy Act of 2005, which grants each state or territory the right to decide whether to use DST. The exception of the Navajo Nation is due to the territory extending into New Mexico and Utah, which do observe DST.

Historically, Arizona used DST during both World Wars in an effort to conserve fuel. The state last observed DST in 1967, and the negative reactions from residents, businesses, farming communities, and parents led to the state opting out of DST permanently.

Local time in Phoenix

The local time in Phoenix, Arizona, is currently 7:31 am or 7:32 am Mountain Standard Time (MST) on Sunday, January 12, 2025. Phoenix, located in Maricopa County, Arizona, observes the Mountain Standard Time zone, which is UTC/GMT -7 hours. This means Phoenix is currently 2 hours behind Washington, DC.

It is important to note that Phoenix does not observe daylight saving time. Therefore, the time difference between Phoenix and other locations that do adjust for daylight saving time will vary throughout the year.

The sun rose in Phoenix today at 6:46 am and will set at 5:41 pm, resulting in a day length of 10 hours and 8 minutes. The sun will reach its highest point in the sky at 12:36 pm, with an altitude of 35.1 degrees.

The Moon is currently in its First Quarter phase, which began on January 6, 2025, at 4:56 pm. The next lunar phase will be the Full Moon, occurring on January 13, 2025, at 3:26 pm.

Universal Time Coordinated GMT

Phoenix, Arizona, is in the Mountain Standard Time (MST) zone, which is UTC/GMT -7 hours. This means that when it's noon in Phoenix, it's 7 pm in London, England, which is on the prime meridian of 0° longitude, also known as the Greenwich meridian.

Universal Time Coordinated (UTC), also known as Coordinated Universal Time, is the primary global time standard used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC is not a time zone, but a time standard that is the basis for civil time and time zones worldwide. This means that no country or territory officially uses UTC as a local time.

UTC is the effective successor to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in everyday usage and common applications. In specialised fields such as scientific research, navigation, and timekeeping, other standards like UT1 and International Atomic Time (TAI) are also used alongside UTC.

UTC is based on TAI, which is a weighted average of atomic clocks worldwide. It is within about one second of mean solar time at 0° longitude, the currently used prime meridian, and it is not adjusted for daylight saving time. The coordination of time and frequency transmissions around the world began on 1 January 1960, and UTC was first officially adopted as a standard in 1963.

To determine your local time relative to UTC, you need to subtract a certain number of hours depending on how many time zones away from Greenwich, England, you are. For example, during standard time, the Eastern Time zone in the US is UTC-5, while during daylight saving time, it is UTC-4.

UTC is widely used in aviation, weather forecasts, maps, and by the International Space Station. It is also used by amateur radio operators who schedule their contacts in UTC to reach operators in many time zones.

UTC divides time into days, hours, minutes, and seconds, with each day containing 24 hours and each hour containing 60 minutes. Each minute usually contains 60 seconds, but with the occasional leap second, it may be 61 or 59 seconds instead. Leap seconds are added to keep UTC within 0.9 seconds of the UT1 variant of universal time.

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