If you’re staring at your phone trying to figure out the current time in Portland, you've probably realized something annoying. There isn't just one Portland.
It's a classic mix-up. Most people are looking for the "Keep Portland Weird" vibes of Oregon, but there's a whole other crowd checking in on the coastal charm of Portland, Maine. Get them confused, and you’re either waking someone up at 5:00 AM or missing a dinner reservation by three hours.
Right now, as of Friday, January 16, 2026, the two cities are living in completely different worlds.
In Portland, Oregon, it is currently 2:12 PM. They are on Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Meanwhile, over in Portland, Maine, the clocks say 5:12 PM. They’re running on Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Basically, the East Coast is already thinking about happy hour while the West Coast is just getting back from lunch.
The 2026 Time Zone Reality in Portland
Time is weirdly fluid in the U.S. because of how we handle Daylight Saving Time (DST). Since we are currently in the middle of January, both Portlands are on "Standard Time."
Portland, Oregon is eight hours behind Coordinated Universal Time ($UTC-8$).
Portland, Maine is five hours behind ($UTC-5$).
This three-hour gap is the standard "coast-to-coast" delay. It’s why live TV shows often air at 8:00 PM in New York but 5:00 PM in Los Angeles. If you’re calling from Portland to Portland, you have to be careful. A 9:00 AM meeting for a Maine business owner is a brutal 6:00 AM wake-up call for someone in Oregon. Honestly, nobody wants to talk about spreadsheets before the sun is even up.
When the Clocks Change in 2026
Mark your calendars because the current time in Portland won't stay this way for long. In 2026, Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 8.
At 2:00 AM on that Sunday, both cities will "spring forward" one hour.
Oregon will move from PST to PDT (Pacific Daylight Time, $UTC-7$).
Maine will move from EST to EDT (Eastern Daylight Time, $UTC-4$).
The three-hour gap stays the same, but everyone loses an hour of sleep. It’s a collective national grumble.
Then, on November 1, 2026, we do the opposite. We "fall back." The clocks revert to Standard Time. This cycle has been the subject of massive political debate for years. You’ve probably heard about the Sunshine Protection Act. It was a bill aimed at making Daylight Saving Time permanent so we’d never have to touch our clocks again. While it gained a ton of steam in the Senate a couple of years back, it's stalled out in the House of Representatives. For now, Oregon and Maine are stuck in the loop.
Why Portland, Oregon's Time Matters for Travelers
If you’re heading to the Pacific Northwest, the current time in Portland dictates your entire itinerary. The city is famous for its food carts and "vibe," but that vibe has a schedule.
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Most food cart pods in downtown Portland, like the ones near SW 5th and Stark, start winding down by 3:00 PM or 4:00 PM. If you’re coming from the East Coast, your internal clock might tell you it’s dinner time, but in Oregon, you’re just hitting the mid-afternoon lull.
Jet lag is real here. When you fly west, you "gain" time, which sounds great until you’re wide awake at 4:00 AM looking for a Voodoo Doughnut. Luckily, Portland is one of those places where you can actually find coffee that early.
Portland, Maine: The Atlantic Rhythm
On the flip side, Portland, Maine is a city that follows the sun and the sea. Because it's so far east, the sun sets remarkably early in the winter. In January, it’s often dark by 4:30 PM.
If you’re trying to catch the "Golden Hour" for photos at Portland Head Light, you need to know the current time in Portland down to the minute. If you show up at 5:00 PM expecting a sunset, you’ll be standing in the dark with a cold wind blowing off the Atlantic.
Maine is in the Eastern Time Zone, the same as New York City and Washington D.C. It’s the busiest time zone in the country, which means people there are often on a faster "corporate" clock compared to the laid-back Pacific Northwest.
Avoiding the "Two Portlands" Blunder
I’ve seen it happen. Someone books a flight for 10:00 AM, thinking they have plenty of time, only to realize their calendar app synced to the wrong Portland. Or worse, they book a hotel in Portland, ME, for a conference that is actually in Portland, OR.
Here is how you stay sane:
Check the state abbreviation. It’s the oldest trick in the book. If you see OR, you’re looking at the West Coast (Pacific Time). If you see ME, you’re looking at the East Coast (Eastern Time).
Modern smartphones are usually smart enough to update your time zone automatically based on GPS. However, if you have "Set Automatically" turned off in your settings, you’re asking for trouble.
If you are scheduling a Zoom call between the two cities, use a tool like World Time Buddy. It visualizes the day so you can see that 1:00 PM in Maine is 10:00 AM in Oregon. It prevents that awkward moment where you’re sitting in an empty digital room wondering where everyone is.
Key Takeaways for 2026
Understanding the current time in Portland is about more than just looking at a watch. It's about knowing which side of the country you're dealing with and how the season affects the daylight.
Keep these specific 2026 dates in mind for your travel or business planning:
- January–March 7: Both Portlands are on Standard Time (3-hour difference).
- March 8: Daylight Saving Time begins. Clocks move forward.
- March–October: Both Portlands are on Daylight Time (3-hour difference).
- November 1: Daylight Saving Time ends. Clocks move back.
If you’re currently in Oregon and need to call Maine, do it before your lunch break. If you’re in Maine and need to call Oregon, wait until after your morning coffee. This simple rule will save you a lot of frustrated voicemails and "sorry I missed you" emails.
Double-check your calendar invites to ensure the time zone is explicitly set to "America/Los_Angeles" for Oregon or "America/New_York" for Maine. This prevents the software from guessing based on your current location, which is where most of the errors happen during travel transitions.