It’s Christmas Eve, santa claus dressed up For our annual voyage from the North Pole to homes around the world. The North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) continues its decades-long tradition once again. TRACK SANTA’S JOURNEY To help you get presents to kids before Christmas 2024, we use our constantly updated official map to show you where you are.
NORAD, the agency that monitors and defends U.S. and Canadian airspace, has tracked Santa’s whereabouts every year since 1958. Its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, was in charge of the project for three years before NORAD took over.
Here’s what trackers need to know as they plan Santa’s journey this Christmas.
Where is Santa now?
NORAD updates the map in real time to show Santa’s current location as he flies around the world. He started from the North Pole and headed south along the Pacific Rim, then across Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe, delivering more than 5 billion gifts. He stopped in Antarctica, crossed South America and the Caribbean as night fell in the Western Hemisphere, then crossed the Atlantic and headed north through Greenland to Canada.
Monitor Santa’s progress on the live map on NORAD’s website or check the agency’s Facebook for updates throughout the day. XInstagram and YouTube pages.
When does Santa come home?
The NORAD tracker reflects Santa’s location at various points on his route around the world, so you can see how far Santa is from you, but the map can’t predict when Santa will arrive at a particular home. NORAD said its information allows the tracker to follow St. Nick’s Christmas travels, but it cannot predict his itinerary or where he will travel next once he stops at one location.
“Only Santa knows his route, which means you can’t predict when or if he will arrive at your home,” NORAD wrote on its website. “But we know from history that he only seems to appear when the children are asleep!”
According to experts at NORAD, Santa typically arrives at a person’s home between 9 p.m. and midnight on Christmas Eve.
How does Santa Tracker work?
The tracker relies on radar technology and satellites to keep an eye on Santa, according to NORAD, which notes that these methods are the same as those used by NORAD to protect the skies over North America. The radar system, called the North American Warning System, includes 47 different checkpoints across northern Canada and Alaska.
“Every holiday season, we closely check our radar for signs that Santa Claus is leaving the North Pole,” the NORAD website states. “The moment our radar tells us that Santa has taken off, we start using the same satellites that we use to provide airborne warnings of possible missile launches targeting North America.”
Families can also receive updates via phone from the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center. All you have to do is call. 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) Call a NORAD operator who can tell you Santa’s exact location. Routes will operate from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. ET on December 24.
More than 1,250 uniformed personnel from across the United States and Canada volunteer on Christmas Eve to answer the calls and emails NORAD receives while the Santa Tracker is in operation. Civilians in the Department of Defense are also helping, and over the years, even the President and First Lady have helped. Joined to answer the phone.
Is there anything else you need to know about Santa Tracker?
NORAD says Santa Claus typically begins his Christmas journey at the International Date Line, located in the Pacific Ocean, and travels west around the world. That is, historically he begins his visit to the South Pacific region and moves on to New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Central America and South America in that order.
NORAD added, “Keep in mind that Santa’s route can be affected by weather and is therefore truly unpredictable. We work with Santa’s elf launch staff to confirm launch times, but from that point on, Santa makes the decisions.” . ”