Current time in Anchorage
- Time zone
- America/Anchorage
- UTC offset
- UTC-08:00
- Abbreviation
- AKDT
- Daylight saving time
- Observed
- Next clock change
- November 1, 2026
- Country
- United States
- Population
- 289,600
Anchorage time difference
How far Anchorage is ahead of or behind the world's main business hubs right now. Daylight saving time is already applied where it is in effect.
| Compared with | Time difference | UTC offset |
|---|---|---|
| London | 9h aheadChanges with DST | UTC+01:00 |
| New York City | 4h ahead | UTC-04:00 |
| Los Angeles | 1h ahead | UTC-07:00 |
| Chicago | 3h ahead | UTC-05:00 |
| Tokyo | 17h aheadChanges with DST | UTC+09:00 |
| Dubai | 12h aheadChanges with DST | UTC+04:00 |
Clock changes in Anchorage
| Date | Local time | UTC offset |
|---|---|---|
| November 1, 2026 | 2:00 AM → 1:00 AM | UTC-08:00 → UTC-09:00 |
| March 14, 2027 | 2:00 AM → 3:00 AM | UTC-09:00 → UTC-08:00 |
Sunrise, sunset and solar time in Anchorage
- Sunrise today
- 8:07 AM
- Sunset today
- 7:30 PM
- Day length today
- 11 hours 23 minutes
- Solar noon today
- 1:49 PM
- Longest day
- 19 hours 22 minutes (June 21)
- Shortest day
- 5 hours 27 minutes (December 21)
On standard time, clocks in Anchorage run 1 hour ahead of the sun: solar noon comes at about 1:00 PM, not at 12:00 PM. Daylight saving time moves solar noon one more hour later on the clock.
Time zone history since 1970
Clocks have changed twice a year throughout the period since 1970.
Changes outside the seasonal pattern:
- January 6, 1974: UTC-10:00 → UTC-09:00
- October 27, 1974: UTC-09:00 → UTC-10:00
- April 24, 1983: UTC-10:00 → UTC-09:00
Source: IANA time zone database, version 2025b.
Worth knowing
Anchorage moved from UTC−10 to UTC−9 in 1983, when Alaska consolidated its time zones — the change appears in the history above. The city lies far west of its zone's central meridian, which is why the sun runs roughly an hour behind the clock here in winter.
Sources: IANA tz database: northamerica
Frequently asked questions
- What time zone is Anchorage in?
- Anchorage uses the America/Anchorage (AKDT) time zone and is currently on UTC-08:00.
- Does Anchorage observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. The next clock change is on November 1, 2026; after it, UTC-09:00 applies.