CST Time Now: Current Central Time

CST or CDT?

In winter Chicago runs on CST, UTC−6. On the second Sunday in March the clocks spring forward to CDT, and on the first Sunday in November they fall back again.

Invitations often say CST even in summer. Between March 8 and November 1, 2026, the right label is CDT.

Where Central Time is used

Central Time runs down the middle of the country, from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Louisiana and most of Texas, with Chicago as its largest city. In Canada, Manitoba uses it. Saskatchewan and Mexico City keep Central Standard Time all year.

Good to know

TV schedules often print a time like 8/7c. That means a show airs at 8 PM Eastern and 7 PM Central, because Central viewers see the East Coast feed an hour earlier on their clocks.

Winter and summer gaps

January and July give the same gaps. For two or three weeks in March and about a week around the start of November they are an hour different, since the US moves its clocks on its own Sundays, not on Europe's.

Office hours that overlap

Chicago shares seven hours with New York and two hours with London. Calls to London fit best first thing in the morning.

Central Time against other zones

Here is the time in each zone at noon in Chicago today. Anything marked next day has already passed midnight there.

Convert CST to another zone

To line up more than two places, try the time zone converter and meeting planner.

Related pages

• The time now in every zone
• When do the clocks go back?
• When do the clocks go forward?
• Military time converter