Current Time in America/Adak Time Zone

Geographic Scope and Usage

The America/Adak zone applies to a small, sparsely populated region of Alaska: the portion of the Aleutian Islands west of 169°30′W longitude. This includes the city of Adak (population roughly 200), the former naval air station, and a handful of other remote communities such as Atka and Attu Station (though Attu is uninhabited except for a few Coast Guard personnel). The rest of Alaska, including Anchorage and Juneau, uses the Alaska Time Zone (America/Anchorage, UTC-09:00 standard, UTC-08:00 DST). The boundary between the two zones runs along the 169°30′W meridian, which places Adak and the western Aleutians in a time zone that shares its standard offset with Hawaii (Pacific/Honolulu).

Offset and Abbreviation

Standard time in America/Adak is Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HST), which is UTC-10:00. During daylight saving time, clocks advance one hour to Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time (HDT), UTC-09:00. The abbreviations HST and HDT are unique to this zone and Hawaii, reflecting the shared offset but distinct geographic regions. Unlike Hawaii, which does not observe DST, the Aleutian Islands do switch clocks twice a year, making the zone's behavior more similar to mainland Alaska in terms of DST observance.

Daylight Saving Time Behavior

America/Adak observes daylight saving time, following the same schedule as the rest of the United States. Clocks spring forward on the second Sunday of March (from HST to HDT) and fall back on the first Sunday of November (from HDT to HST). For example, in 2025, DST begins on March 9 and ends on November 2. In 2026, it begins on March 8 and ends on November 1. This means that for about 34 weeks of the year, the zone is at UTC-09:00, and for the remaining 18 weeks (in winter), it is at UTC-10:00. The transition times occur at 2:00 AM local time, typical for U.S. time zones.

Countries and Cities

The only country using America/Adak is the United States. The primary settlement is Adak, Alaska, which is the westernmost municipality in the United States. Other locations include the village of Atka (population about 50) and the now-uninhabited Attu Station. The zone is also used by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and various scientific and military installations in the region. No other countries or territories share this specific IANA zone, though several other zones share the same standard offset (UTC-10:00): Pacific/Honolulu (Hawaii, no DST), Pacific/Rarotonga (Cook Islands), Pacific/Tahiti (French Polynesia), and the alias US/Hawaii.

Practical Guidance for Scheduling

When scheduling calls or business hours with America/Adak, note that the zone is 10 hours behind UTC in winter and 9 hours behind in summer. For example, when it is noon in Adak during standard time (HST), it is 22:00 UTC, 5:00 PM Eastern Time (UTC-5), and 2:00 PM Pacific Time (UTC-8). During DST (HDT), noon in Adak is 21:00 UTC, 5:00 PM Eastern, and 2:00 PM Pacific. Because the zone is sparsely populated, most interactions are with government agencies, fishing industries, or military operations. Be aware that the DST transitions can cause a one-hour shift relative to Hawaii (which does not observe DST), so during summer, Adak is one hour ahead of Honolulu (HDT vs HST), but in winter they share the same time. For callers from Asia, Adak's time is often close to Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9): during HDT, Adak is 18 hours behind JST; during HST, it is 19 hours behind. This makes late afternoon in Adak correspond to early morning the next day in Tokyo.