Difference Between CDT and PDT

Last Updated : Sep 6, 2022 / By Piyush Yadav / Fact Checked / 4 mins

The central daylight time is used by most of the zones around the globe during the summertime. The largest city that falls under the central time zone is Mexico City. Mexico is the largest metropolitan city in the zone and in North America.

The pacific daylight time is the time zone that is used in North America and is about seven hours behind the coordinated universal time. For example- New York is currently on the 74th degree on the longitude on the west, which says that it is in the UTC-5 time zone.

Comparison Table Between CDT and PDT 

Parameters of Comparison	CDT	PDT
Abbreviation	CDT stands for Central daylight time	PDT stands for Pacific daylight time
Countries	It is applied in Canada, United States, Mexico.	It is applied in Canada, United States.
UTC	CDT is five hours before UTC.	PDT is seven hours before UTC.
Start date	It starts on Sunday of March.	It started on March 14.
End date	It ends on the first Sunday of November.	It ends on November 7, according to United States' time.
Meaning	CDT stands for central daylight time, which is used by most of the zones basically during summertime which is approximately five hours behind the UTC.	PDT stands for pacific daylight time, which is also used by many countries and is about seven hours behind the UTC that is coordinated universal time.

What is CDT? 

The central daylight time is about five hours behind the coordinated universal time. This basically means that in order to find the central daylight time of a particular zone, you have to subtract five hours from the coordinated universal time of that region.

The zone runs through the middle part of Canada, the United States, and most parts of Mexico. It also encompasses the central part of America, the Caribbean Island, and the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean.

What is PDT? 

PDT is the daylight-saving time called summertime of the PST, which is pacific standard time. The difference between the several time zones to each other is always specified in relation and comparison to the universal time coordinated that is the UTC, which is the time on the prime meridian that is the zero on longitude.  

Let's talk of an example. New York is currently on the 74th degree on the longitude on the west, which says that it is in the UTC-5 time zone. And in the summer days, the clock is switched ahead of the time zone by one hour. The pacific daylight times generally apply to two countries and are consistent with the UTC-7.

Main Differences Between CDT and PDT 

1. The difference between the several time zones to each other is always specified in relation and comparison to the universal time coordinated that is the UTC.
2. CDT is basically applied in the central part of America, but PDT is applied in the northern part of America.

Conclusion  

From the discussion so far, it is to be concluded that both the time zones- central and pacific are used by different countries and during the summertime basically.  

CDT stands for central daylight time, which is used by most of the zones basically during summertime which is approximately five hours behind the UTC. PDT stands for pacific daylight time, which is also used by many countries and is about seven hours behind the UTC that is coordinated universal time.

PDT is the daylight-saving time called summertime of the PST, which is pacific standard time. The difference between the several time zones to each other is always specified in relation and comparison to the universal time coordinated that is the UTC.  

References

1. https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/public_files/08-31-2015.pdf
2. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/William_Steinsmith/publication/255965200_Microtubules_Monotectic_Phase_Reactions_8-18-13/links/0046352112e3cd5dd0000000.pdf