What Time Is It in Seattle? — Seattle Time Zone, Current Time & World Clock Guide
The current local time in Seattle, Washington is Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), which runs at UTC/GMT -7 hours from March 8, 2026 through November 1, 2026. Outside those dates, Seattle operates on Pacific Standard Time (PST) at UTC/GMT -8 hours.
I live in Seattle and get this question more than people might expect — from remote colleagues on the East Coast, friends traveling from India and Japan, and visitors trying to figure out whether it’s too late to call. This guide covers Seattle’s exact current time, Seattle time zone rules, daylight saving dates, and time differences from every major world city in one place.
Seattle Current Time Right Now — What Time Is It in Seattle?
Today is Tuesday, March 10, 2026, and Seattle is currently operating on Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) at UTC/GMT -7 hours.
Seattle, WA switched from Pacific Standard Time (PST) to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on March 8, 2026 at 2:00 AM, when clocks moved forward 1 hour. Seattle’s next time change returns clocks to PST on November 1, 2026 at 2:00 AM, when clocks move back 1 hour.
Seattle time zone facts for March 10, 2026:
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) |
| UTC/GMT Offset | UTC/GMT -7 hours |
| Coordinates | 47°37’N, 122°21’W |
| Country | United States (USA) |
| State | Washington (WA) |
| Currency | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Language | English |
| Country Code | +1 |
| Date | Tuesday, March 10, 2026 |
Seattle time is sourced via Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers calibrated to GPS and UWIN (University of Washington Integrated Networks) infrastructure. CustomWeather and World Time services both reference these standards for Seattle, WA local time accuracy.
What Time Zone Is Seattle In?
Seattle, Washington is in the Pacific Time Zone, which operates under 2 designations across the year:
Pacific Standard Time (PST) — UTC/GMT -8 hours: Seattle runs on PST from early November through early March. PST applies when daylight saving time is not in effect. During PST, Seattle is 8 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) — UTC/GMT -7 hours: Seattle runs on PDT from early March through early November. PDT applies when daylight saving time is active. During PDT, Seattle is 7 hours behind UTC time and 7 hours behind GMT time.
The time zone abbreviation for Seattle changes between PST and PDT based on the date. In March 2026, the correct Seattle time zone abbreviation is PDT.
Seattle Daylight Saving Time (DST) Dates — 2026
Seattle observes Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the following 2 dates in 2026:
- Spring Forward — March 8, 2026: Clocks moved from 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM. Seattle gained 1 hour of evening daylight and lost 1 hour of morning light.
- Fall Back — November 1, 2026: Clocks move from 2:00 AM to 1:00 AM. Seattle gains 1 hour of morning light and loses 1 hour of evening daylight.
DST in Seattle follows United States federal law under the Uniform Time Act, which sets the spring forward date as the second Sunday of March and the fall back date as the first Sunday of November for all US states that observe DST. Washington State observes DST statewide.
Note for schedulers and travelers: Any meeting, flight, or event scheduled between March 8, 2026 and November 1, 2026 uses PDT (UTC -7). Revert to PST (UTC -8) for events outside those dates.
Time Difference Between Seattle and Major US Cities
Seattle’s current UTC/GMT -7 hours (PDT) offset produces the following time differences with major US cities on March 10, 2026:
| City | Time Zone | Difference from Seattle | Seattle Time vs. City Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington DC (East) | EDT (UTC -4) | +3 hours | 12:00 PM Seattle = 3:00 PM DC |
| New York, NY | EDT (UTC -4) | +3 hours | 12:00 PM Seattle = 3:00 PM New York |
| Chicago, IL | CDT (UTC -5) | +2 hours | 12:00 PM Seattle = 2:00 PM Chicago |
| Denver, CO | MDT (UTC -6) | +1 hour | 12:00 PM Seattle = 1:00 PM Denver |
| Los Angeles, CA | PDT (UTC -7) | Same | 12:00 PM Seattle = 12:00 PM LA |
| Phoenix, AZ | MST (UTC -7) | Same | 12:00 PM Seattle = 12:00 PM Phoenix |
| Honolulu, HI | HST (UTC -10) | -3 hours | 12:00 PM Seattle = 9:00 AM Honolulu |
| Anchorage, AK | AKDT (UTC -8) | -1 hour | 12:00 PM Seattle = 11:00 AM Anchorage |
Seattle and Washington DC maintain a 3-hour time difference during daylight saving season — the most relevant gap for Seattle’s tech and business communities dealing with federal government, East Coast media, and financial markets.
Time Difference Between Seattle and International Cities
Seattle (PDT, UTC -7) time differences with major international cities on March 10, 2026:
Seattle’s time difference with India stands at +12 hours 30 minutes during PDT — the half-hour offset comes from India Standard Time (IST) sitting at UTC +5:30. Seattle’s remote workforce connecting with India-based teams deals with this 12.5-hour gap daily, which makes a morning Seattle meeting translate to a late-night India call.
Seattle’s time difference with Japan is +16 hours during PDT, meaning Japan runs nearly a full day ahead. Amazon headquarters in Seattle and Microsoft in nearby Redmond, both with major Japan operations, schedule cross-Pacific calls in Seattle’s early morning to reach Japan during business hours.
Seattle Airport Time Reference — March 10, 2026
All 3 Seattle area airports operate on PDT (UTC -7) as of March 10, 2026:
- Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) — the primary international gateway; all departure and arrival times display in PDT on March 10, 2026
- Kenmore Air Harbor Seaplane Base (LKE) — Lake Union seaplane terminal; floatplane scheduling runs on Seattle local time PDT
- Boeing Field / King County International Airport (BFI) — general aviation and charter; operates on PDT consistent with Seattle local time
Confirm time zone settings on any booked SEA flight for March 8–10, 2026 travel, as flights booked in PST before March 8 show a 1-hour difference in local departure time after the spring forward date.
Seattle Time for Specific Scheduling Needs
What Time Is It in Seattle for Business Calls?
Seattle business hours run 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM PDT (UTC -7) as of March 10, 2026. For callers from East Coast US cities, Seattle’s 9:00 AM opening corresponds to 12:00 PM EDT in New York and Washington DC. For London-based callers, Seattle’s 9:00 AM PDT corresponds to 4:00 PM GMT.
The University of Washington (UW) operates on Seattle local time PDT for all academic and administrative scheduling. UWIN (University of Washington Integrated Networks) time servers synchronize to GPS-based Network Time Protocol (NTP) standards, making UW the most precise local time reference in Seattle, WA.
What Time Is It in Seattle for Seattle Mariners Games?
Seattle Mariners home game times at T-Mobile Park run primarily at 7:10 PM PDT for weeknight games and 1:10 PM or 4:10 PM PDT for weekend afternoon games during the 2026 season. The Pacific Northwest time now for Mariners games is PDT from Opening Day through October.
What Is Seattle Happy Hour Time?
Seattle happy hour time at most Seattle bars and restaurants runs from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM PDT Monday through Friday. Washington State liquor regulations set happy hour pricing windows — Seattle’s most common happy hour window falls 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM local time.
How to Convert Seattle Time to Any Time Zone — 2 Methods
Method 1 — Manual calculation using UTC offset: Subtract Seattle’s UTC -7 (PDT) offset from any city’s UTC offset to get the difference. London at UTC +0 minus Seattle at UTC -7 equals +7 hours ahead of Seattle. Tokyo at UTC +9 minus Seattle at UTC -7 equals +16 hours ahead.
Method 2 — World Time converter tools: These 4 tools provide accurate Seattle time conversion to any world clock city or country:
- timeanddate.com — Seattle world clock with live PDT/PST switching
- worldtimebuddy.com — side-by-side Seattle time comparison across multiple cities
- 24timezones.com — Seattle time zone map and converter
- worldometers.info/time/seattle-wa-usa/ — live Seattle time display with UTC reference
GMT time and UTC time both reference the same zero baseline — GMT and UTC differ by fractions of a second in precision but show the same offset value for practical Seattle time conversion purposes.
Seattle Time Zone History — Why Seattle Is on Pacific Time
Seattle, Washington sits at 47°37’N, 122°21’W, placing Seattle geographically within the Pacific Time Zone boundary drawn across the western United States. The Pacific Time Zone covers Washington (WA), Oregon, California, and Nevada as its primary US states. Seattle’s position at the far west of the continental US — pushed against the Pacific Ocean — aligns Seattle with Los Angeles, Portland, and San Francisco in the same time zone despite Seattle sitting over 1,100 miles north of Los Angeles.
Washington DC and Seattle maintain a permanent 2-hour difference in winter (PST) and a 3-hour difference in summer (PDT) — the East/West split that defines much of Seattle’s communication cadence with federal agencies, national media, and East Coast financial markets.
Seattle Public Holidays Affecting Business Hours — 2026
Seattle, WA observes these US federal public holidays in 2026 that affect local business operating hours:
- Memorial Day — May 25, 2026: Federal offices, banks, and many Seattle businesses close; Seattle time zone remains PDT (UTC -7)
- Juneteenth — June 19, 2026: Federal holiday; Seattle government offices closed; PDT applies
- Independence Day — July 4, 2026: Full federal and most Seattle business closure; PDT applies
- Labor Day — September 7, 2026: Federal offices and most Seattle businesses closed; PDT applies
- Thanksgiving — November 26, 2026: Full closure; PST applies (clocks fall back November 1)
- Christmas — December 25, 2026: Full closure; PST applies
All 2026 Seattle public holiday dates above fall within either PDT (UTC -7) or PST (UTC -8) windows as noted. Scheduling meetings or travel around these dates requires confirming both the Seattle time zone offset and whether the destination city’s DST dates differ from Washington State.
Quick Seattle Time Reference Card
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What time zone is Seattle in right now? | PDT — Pacific Daylight Time (UTC -7) |
| What is Seattle’s UTC offset today? | UTC/GMT -7 hours |
| When did Seattle clocks spring forward? | March 8, 2026 at 2:00 AM |
| When do Seattle clocks fall back? | November 1, 2026 at 2:00 AM |
| How far ahead is New York vs Seattle? | 3 hours ahead (EDT vs PDT) |
| How far ahead is London vs Seattle? | 7 hours ahead (GMT vs PDT) |
| How far ahead is Tokyo vs Seattle? | 16 hours ahead (JST vs PDT) |
| How far ahead is India vs Seattle? | 12.5 hours ahead (IST vs PDT) |
| Is Seattle AM or PM at noon UTC? | 5:00 AM Seattle (PDT) when UTC shows noon |
| What is Seattle’s 24-hour clock at noon? | 12:00 (noon) PDT = 12:00 local, 19:00 UTC |
A Note From a Seattle Local
I’ve worked with colleagues in India, Japan, and London from a Seattle home office, and the time difference math becomes second nature after a while. The Japan gap — 16 hours during PDT — is the one that requires the most creative scheduling. The India gap at 12.5 hours is the one that catches people off guard because of that half-hour offset.
If you’re visiting Seattle and trying to keep track of calls back home, the World Time tools at timeanddate.com and worldtimebuddy.com both handle Seattle PDT accurately. Set Seattle as your home clock base and add your origin city as the comparison — the side-by-side view answers every scheduling question faster than manual calculation.
Seattle local time as of today, March 10, 2026, runs on PDT (UTC -7) until November 1, 2026. Plan accordingly.
Seattle time data sourced from Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers, GPS-synchronized UWIN (University of Washington) time standards, CustomWeather, and World Time service references. Current as of March 10, 2026.
