How many hours separate PST and MST?
One hour. Pacific Standard Time runs on UTC−8. Mountain Standard Time runs on UTC−7. Both zones spring forward on the second Sunday of March and fall back on the first Sunday of November, so the gap stays fixed all year. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, UTC−7) and Mountain Daylight Time (MDT, UTC−6) keep the same 60-minute offset.
Denver, Salt Lake City and Calgary sit in the Mountain zone. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver sit in Pacific.
When does Arizona match Pacific time?
Arizona skips daylight saving. The state sticks to Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) through the whole calendar. That creates a split year:
- November to March: Pacific runs on PST (UTC−8). Arizona is 1 hour ahead. 10:00 AM in Seattle is 11:00 AM in Phoenix.
- March to November: Pacific runs on PDT (UTC−7). Arizona stays on MST (UTC−7). The clocks align. 10:00 AM in Los Angeles is 10:00 AM in Phoenix.
This is the single biggest scheduling trap between the two zones. Booking a July call with someone in Phoenix? There is no difference. Booking a February call? Add one hour.
PST to MST conversion table
| Pacific Time | Mountain Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 AM PST | 7:00 AM MST | Early meeting window |
| 9:00 AM PST | 10:00 AM MST | Typical West Coast start |
| 12:00 PM PST | 1:00 PM MST | Lunch overlap |
| 3:00 PM PST | 4:00 PM MST | Afternoon coordination |
| 5:00 PM PST | 6:00 PM MST | End of business day |
Is Mountain Time always one hour ahead of Pacific?
Yes. The 1-hour difference holds year-round because both zones observe daylight saving on the same dates. Arizona is the lone exception: it never springs forward, so it matches PDT from March to November.
What time is it in Denver if it is 2:00 PM in Seattle?
3:00 PM Mountain Time. Seattle runs on Pacific. Denver runs on Mountain.
Does the live converter handle daylight saving automatically?
Yes. The hour-by-hour table uses the current date to decide whether PST/PDT and MST/MDT are active.
Why does Arizona show "MST" in July?
Arizona uses Mountain Standard Time all year. In summer, that MST lines up exactly with Pacific Daylight Time. The label stays MST even when the offset matches PDT.
How do I convert PDT to MDT?
Add one hour. 11:00 AM PDT becomes 12:00 PM MDT. The 1-hour rule holds regardless of which flavour of time each zone is on.
What if I am scheduling a meeting between Los Angeles and Phoenix in July?
Use the same local time for both. Los Angeles is on PDT (UTC−7) and Phoenix is on MST (UTC−7) in July. No math required.