Current time in Huntsville, AL
Central Time UTC−6 · IANA zone America/Chicago
Time zone details
| Time zone | Central Time (CT) |
|---|---|
| Standard time | CST, UTC−6 (early Nov – mid Mar) |
| Daylight time | CDT, UTC−5 (mid Mar – early Nov) |
| DST clock change | Forward 1 h, 2nd Sunday of March · Back 1 h, 1st Sunday of November |
| Sunrise today | — |
| Sunset today | — |
| Day length | — |
| Coordinates | 34.73° N, 86.59° W |
Time difference from Huntsville
| City | Local time now |
|---|---|
| New York | +1 h |
| Denver | −1 h |
| Phoenix | −1 / −2 h |
| Los Angeles | −2 h |
| Anchorage | −3 h |
| Honolulu | −4 / −5 h |
Huntsville reads the same time as the rest of the Central Time Zone, from Nashville and Memphis to Chicago and New Orleans.
About time in Huntsville
Huntsville is the seat of Madison County in Alabama's Tennessee Valley, and like the whole state it runs on Central Time — one hour behind Washington and New York, level with Chicago. The Tennessee state line a few miles north changes nothing on the clock, since Middle Tennessee is Central too; Eastern Time only begins toward Chattanooga.
The city's rocket industry works on two clocks. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, established at Redstone Arsenal in 1960, developed the Saturn V here, and spaceflight operations are still scheduled in UTC — 6 hours ahead of Huntsville in winter, 5 in summer.
At latitude 34.7° N, daylight in Huntsville stretches to a bit over 14 hours at the June solstice and shrinks to roughly 10 hours in late December, when the sun sets before 5:00 PM.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Huntsville in?
Huntsville is in the Central Time Zone (CT). It observes Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−6) in winter and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−5) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
How far behind New York is Huntsville?
Huntsville is 1 hour behind New York all year, since both cities change to daylight saving time on the same dates. Noon in New York is 11:00 AM in Huntsville.
Does Huntsville observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Clocks in Huntsville move forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and back one hour at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November. In 2026 that means March 8 and November 1.