Current Time in Texas
The exact Central Time in Texas right now, with today's date, whether daylight saving (CDT) is in effect, how far Texas is from your time, and sunrise and sunset for Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and more. El Paso, in the far west, is one hour behind.
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Today hour by hour: Texas vs. you
| Texas | Your time | UTC |
|---|
9 AM–5 PM in Texas 9 AM–5 PM for you both
Times come from your device clock and your browser's built-in time zone database (America/Chicago), which includes official daylight saving rules. Sunrise and sunset use the NOAA solar equations and are accurate to about a minute.
How to use the Current Time in Texas
- Read the live clock: the big display shows the current time in Texas, today's date there and the time zone abbreviation with its UTC offset.
- Check the difference: the first card tells you how many hours Texas is ahead of or behind the time zone set on your device, and what your time is now.
- See sunrise and sunset: pick a location in the sunrise card to see today's sunrise, sunset, day length and twilight there.
- Convert a time: choose a direction, date, time and the other zone, then press Convert time to see the matching time and date.
- Plan a call: scroll the hour-by-hour table to find hours that fall inside 9 AM to 5 PM both in Texas and for you.
Texas time zones explained
Texas is the largest state that straddles two time zones. About 252 of its 254 counties, including every big city except El Paso, use Central Time: Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−06:00) in winter and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−05:00) from mid-March to early November. This page shows that Central Time.
El Paso and Hudspeth counties in far West Texas use Mountain Time (MST, UTC−07:00, and MDT, UTC−06:00), the same as Denver and neighbouring New Mexico. Driving east on I-10 you set your watch forward one hour near the Hudspeth–Culberson county line. To see El Paso time, choose “Denver / El Paso (Mountain)” in the converter.
When it is 12:00 PM (noon) in Texas
Times below are for mid-January 2027 (CST) and mid-July 2027 (CDT). US zones keep the same gaps all year except Arizona and Hawaii; Asia and Europe move relative to Texas.
| When it is noon in Houston / Dallas | Mid-January | Mid-July |
|---|---|---|
| Texas (Central) | 12:00 PM CST UTC−06:00 | 12:00 PM CDT UTC−05:00 |
| El Paso (Mountain) | 11:00 AM | 11:00 AM |
| Honolulu | 8:00 AM | 7:00 AM |
| Los Angeles | 10:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| Phoenix | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| New York | 1:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| Mexico City | 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM |
| London | 6:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
| Paris | 7:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
| Dubai | 10:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
| New Delhi | 11:30 PM | 10:30 PM |
| Manila | 2:00 AM (next day) | 1:00 AM (next day) |
| Tokyo | 3:00 AM (next day) | 2:00 AM (next day) |
| Sydney | 5:00 AM (next day) | 3:00 AM (next day) |
Daylight saving dates in Texas
| Year | Daylight saving starts (clocks forward) | Daylight saving ends (clocks back) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sun, Mar 8: 2:00 AM → 3:00 AM (CDT) | Sun, Nov 1: 2:00 AM → 1:00 AM (CST) |
| 2027 | Sun, Mar 14: 2:00 AM → 3:00 AM (CDT) | Sun, Nov 7: 2:00 AM → 1:00 AM (CST) |
| 2028 | Sun, Mar 12: 2:00 AM → 3:00 AM (CDT) | Sun, Nov 5: 2:00 AM → 1:00 AM (CST) |
El Paso changes its clocks at 2:00 AM Mountain Time on the same Sundays.
Sunrise and sunset in Texas through the year
Calculated for downtown Houston (29.76° N, 95.37° W) and Amarillo (35.22° N, 101.83° W). Both use the same clock, but the sun reaches the Panhandle about 25 minutes later.
| Date | Houston sunrise | Houston sunset | Amarillo sunrise | Amarillo sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20, 2027) | 7:25 AM | 7:32 PM | 7:51 AM | 7:58 PM |
| June solstice (Jun 21, 2027) | 6:21 AM | 8:25 PM | 6:33 AM | 9:05 PM |
| September equinox (Sep 23, 2027) | 7:10 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:36 AM | 7:42 PM |
| December solstice (Dec 21, 2027) | 7:12 AM CST | 5:26 PM CST | 7:51 AM CST | 5:38 PM CST |
Tips for scheduling with Texas
- Coast to coast: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Texas falls inside working hours in both New York (11 to 5) and California (8 to 2).
- Check the city: if a meeting involves El Paso, remember it is one hour behind the rest of the state.
- Mexico: most of Mexico stopped using daylight saving time in 2022, so Mexico City matches Texas in winter but is 1 hour behind in summer.
- Europe: 7:00 to 10:00 AM in Texas is early to late afternoon in London and Paris, the easiest overlap.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Texas in?
Almost all of Texas, including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth, is in the Central Time Zone (IANA zone America/Chicago). It uses Central Standard Time, CST (UTC−6), in winter and Central Daylight Time, CDT (UTC−5), from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
Does Texas have two time zones?
Yes. El Paso and Hudspeth counties in the far western tip of the state use Mountain Time (MST, UTC−7, and MDT, UTC−6, in summer), so El Paso is always 1 hour behind Houston and Dallas. Everything else in Texas is on Central Time.
Does Texas observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Clocks spring forward from 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM on the second Sunday in March and fall back from 2:00 AM to 1:00 AM on the first Sunday in November. In 2027 that is March 14 and November 7. Bills to stop the switch have been proposed in the Texas Legislature, but none has changed the clocks so far.
What is the time difference between Texas and New York?
Central Texas time is 1 hour behind New York all year, because both switch to and from daylight saving time on the same dates. Noon in Houston is 1:00 PM in New York. El Paso is 2 hours behind New York.
What is the time difference between Texas and California?
Texas (Central Time) is 2 hours ahead of California all year: 10:00 AM in Los Angeles is noon in Dallas. El Paso is only 1 hour ahead of California.
Is Texas on the same time as Chicago?
Yes. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin share Central Time with Chicago, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Kansas City, so they always show the same clock time.
Why is sunset so late in Amarillo and Lubbock?
The Panhandle sits far to the west inside the Central Time Zone, so solar noon comes about 47 minutes later than on the zone's 90° W reference meridian, close to 1:50 PM CDT in summer. Around the June solstice Amarillo's sunset is close to 9:05 PM, about 40 minutes later than in Houston.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.