PDT vs MDT: Difference and Comparison

Different countries follow different time zone because the earth performs rotational motion. There can’t be the same time in all the world’s nations because when the ground performs rotational motion, some of the earth experiences daytime, and some of the earth experiences nighttime.

Key Takeaways

1. PDT stands for Pacific Daylight Time and is used in the western parts of the United States, whereas MDT stands for Mountain Daylight Time and is used in the Rocky Mountain region.
2. PDT is one hour ahead of MDT, with PDT being GMT-7 and MDT being GMT-6.
3. During daylight saving time, both PDT and MDT are used, but when daylight saving time ends, PDT switches to Pacific Standard Time, while MDT switches to Mountain Standard Time.

PDT vs MDT

The Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) is one hour fourth of the Pacific Time Zone (PDT). The countries or states that follow them are also different from each other.

The Pacific Time Zone is the time zone that is seven hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time. It is followed by the Western USA, Western Canada, and Western Mexico.

The Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) is the time zone that is one hour past the Pacific Time Zone and is six hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time. Several locations follow it in the United States of America, such as Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Oregon.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	PDT	MDT
Full Forms	The Pacific Time Zone	The Mountain Daylight Time
Definition	The time zone, which is seven hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time and one hour behind the Mountain Daylight Time, is called the Pacific Time Zone (PDT).	The time zone, which is six hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time and one hour ahead of the Pacific Time Zone, is called the Mountain Daylight Zone (MDT).
Also known as	Pacific Standard Time (PST), Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)	Mountain Time (MT), Mountain Standard Time (MST)
Behind/ahead of The Coordinated Universal Time	Seven hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time	Six hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time
Largest location	Los Angeles, California, USA	Phoenix, Arizona, USA

What is PDT?

The time zone, which is seven hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time and one hour behind the Mountain Daylight Time, is called the Pacific Time Zone (PDT). The formula used to calculate the standard time in the locations that follow the Pacific Time Zone is UTC-7:00.

The Pacific Time Zone varies from the time zones of other regions. It means that it is behind a few hours in some areas or ahead a few hours in some parts.

Even some US possessions follow the time zones, which are followed by the locations in the USA. The three major countries that observe the Pacific Time Zone are the Western USA, Western Canada, and Western Mexico.

The countries that follow the Pacific Time Zone (PDT) change their time zones from the Pacific Standard Time (PST) to the Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) at a particular time of the year. The territories that follow the Pacific Time Zone in the USA change their time on the second Sunday in March from The Pacific Standard Time (PST) to The Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), which was initiated in 2007.

What is MDT?

The time zone, which is six hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time and one hour ahead of the Pacific Time Zone, is called the Mountain Daylight Zone (MDT). The formula used to calculate the standard time in the locations that follow the Mountain Daylight Time is UTC-6:00.

For instance, it is called Mountain Time (MT) in the USA and Canada. On the contrary, it is called Tiempo de la montaña in Mexico.

The Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) is behind a few hours of some regions or ahead a few hours of some regions’ time zones. The difference varies between the Mountain Daylight Time and other region’s time zone.

The countries that follow the Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) change their time zones from the Mountain Standard Time (MST) to Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) at a particular time of the year. Some locations follow the Mountain Standard Time (MST) in winter, and some places follow the Mountain Daylight Time in summer.

Main Differences Between PDT and UDT

1. The Pacific Time Zone (PDT) covers locations in the USA, including Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and California. Vancouver, Canada. On the contrary, the Mountain Daylight Time covers locations in the USA, such as Utah, Navajo Nation in Arizona, and Cambridge Bay in Canada.
2. The largest region covered by the Pacific Time Zone is Los Angeles, California, USA. On the other hand, the most prominent location surrounded by the Mountain Daylight Time is Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
3. The Pacific Time Zone (PDT) is one hour behind the Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), meaning the time difference between both zones is one hour.
4. The Pacific Time Zone (PDT) is seven hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time. On the other hand, Mountain Daylight Time is six hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time.
5. The Formula used to calculate standard time in the locations covered by the Pacific Time Zone (PDT) is UTC-7:00. On the contrary, the formula used to calculate the standard time in the locations covered by the Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) is UTC-6:00.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264999310001033
2. https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/1718918.1718947

Last Updated : 11 June, 2023