Unleash the Excitement: Central Daylight Time (CDT)

Also referred to as Central Time (CT) and Central Standard Time (CST), the current time zone observed is CDT. The areas with the same current time are operating on a UTC -5 time zone offset. CDT, also known as Central Daylight Time, shares the same time zone offset as CDT but bears a different name.

Five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), CDT observes Daylight Saving Time and is used in North America. Click here to see a full time zone map.

Central Daylight Time operates as the second easternmost time zone in the United States and is also used in Canada. It covers parts or all of 20 states in the US and three provinces or territories in Canada. Roughly a third of the US population resides in the CDT time zone, stretching all the way from northern Canada to Mexico.

Bordering Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) to the east and Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) to the west in North America, CDT shares its border with these daylight saving time zones.

Central Daylight Time (CDT) operates as a North American time zone from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday in November. During the rest of the year, Central Standard Time (CST) is used.

In everyday use, CDT is commonly referred to as Central Time (CT) or the Central Time Zone. However, this can be a bit confusing as the term Central Time does not differentiate between standard time and Daylight Saving Time. Thus, Central Time switches between CST and CDT in areas that observe DST during part of the year.

North America, composed of multiple time zones, has specific designations including Pacific Time (PT), Mountain Time (MT), Eastern Time (ET), and Atlantic Time (AT). To convert Central Time to other US time zones, utilize the Time Zone Converter: UTC to CDT. Central Daylight Time is observed in North America. There exist other time zones that also offset by UTC-5 but are given different names, such as HAC or Heure Avancée du Centre in French. Cuba Daylight Time (CDT) is another time zone with the same name but with different regions observing it. Notable cities living in Central Daylight Time are Chicago in the summer. Central Standard Time (CST) is similarly related time zone. For a visual representation of all these time zones with daylight saving time adjustments, use the Time Zone Map. To view all other time zones throughout the world, consult Time Zone Abbreviations. Time Zone Tools also provide useful resources.