Northwest Territories Time Zone

What is the time zone of Northwest Territories?

The Northwest Territories are in Mountain Time zone. All places including the capital Whitehorse have the same time, there are no exceptions. It is observing daylight savings so there are two different clocks depending on the time of the year.

  • Mountain Standard Time (MST):– 7:00 UTC (behind)
  • Mountain Daylight Time (MDT):– 6:00 UTC (behind)

There is only one exception of the small area of the mining town of Tungsten which is on the Pacific time as used in the Yukon.

canada northwest territories time zone map
canada time zone map 1
Click to enlarge

Travel to neighboring provinces and countries

If you travel outside the Northwest Territories you might change time zones. But it really depends where and when you cross the border.

To British Columbia (BC):

You will enter the Pacific Time zone which is -1 hour (behind)

To Yukon:

  • Mid-March to October: There is a difference of -1 hour (behind)
  • November to mid-March: Same time as in the Northwest Territories.

To Alberta:

Same time as in the Northwest Territories.

To Saskatchewan

  • Mid-March to October: Same time as in the Northwest Territories.
  • November to mid-March: There is a difference of +1 hour (ahead)

To Nunavut:

  • South east border crossing will set you back -1 hour (behind)
  • No time difference when using other border crossings

Northwest Territories Daylight Savings Time (DST)

It starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. In March the clock is moved forward from 02.00 am to 03.00 am (so you will lose an hour of sleep during the night). While in November it’s reversed as the clock is moved backward from 03.00 am to 02.00 am and you will gain an extra hour of sleep. One way of remembering the movement sequence is that clocks “spring forward and fall back”.

The total period of daylight savings lasts for 34 weeks which is about 65% of the year.

Other Canadian Provinces and Territories

You can check out information and maps of other Canadian Provinces and Territories by clicking on the below links.

Pacific Time Mountain Time Central Time Eastern Time Atlantic Time Newfoundland Time
British Columbia Alberta Manitoba Nunavut New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador
British Columbia Nunavut Ontario Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest Territories Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia
Nunavut Saskatchewan Prince Edward Island
Saskatchewan Quebec
Yukon *
* No daylight savings