Definition
Pacific Standard Time (PST) is the standard civil time used in the Pacific Time Zone of the United States and Canada during the non-daylight-saving portion of the year. It is set 8 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−8). The zone covers states such as California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. When daylight saving time is in effect (typically March to November), local clocks shift forward one hour to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, UTC−7).
Plain English
The local clock time used along the U.S. West Coast in winter, which runs 8 hours behind the worldwide reference time (UTC).
Context Anchor
Seen in time-zone conversion discussions, flight planning, weather times, and any situation where a pilot must compare local time with UTC.
Derivation
Named for the Pacific Ocean, which borders the western edge of the zone. 'Standard' refers to the uniform clock setting adopted across the zone, replacing the patchwork of local solar times used before time zones were standardized in the late 1800s.
Why Pilots Care
Correct use prevents scheduling mistakes and ensures accurate UTC conversions needed for flight plans and ATC communications.
Intuition Check
“Standard” does not mean “best” or “most accurate” here. It means the normal legal time for the zone when daylight saving time is not in effect.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot departed Los Angeles at 0900 Pacific Standard Time, which she logged as 1700 Zulu on her flight plan.
Example Sentence 2
To convert Pacific Standard Time to UTC, add eight hours.