What time zone is UTC-5?
Quick Answer: UTC-5 is the time zone offset for Eastern Standard Time (EST) in North America during standard time. It’s also used by countries like Colombia, Peru, and Panama year-round.
UTC-5 means the local time is 5 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). In the U.S. and Canada, this offset applies during the winter months when Daylight Saving Time is not active. When DST starts, clocks move forward to UTC-4.
Several countries near the equator stay on UTC-5 all year since they don’t observe Daylight Saving Time. This makes UTC-5 a common standard for parts of South America and Central America.