It’s Christmas Eve and Santa Claus gets dressed for its annual journey from the North Pole to homes around the world. In keeping with decades of tradition, North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, will once again follow Santa’s journey to deliver presents to children before Christmas 2024, using a constantly updated official map to show where it is currently located.
NORAD, the agency responsible for monitoring and defending the airspaces over the United States and Canada, has tracked Santa’s movements every year since 1958. Its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, managed the project for three years before NORAD took over.
Here’s what you need to know as the tracker traces Santa’s journey this Christmas.
Where is Santa Claus right now?
Monitor Santa’s progress on the live map on the NORAD websiteor follow the agency’s news Facebook, X, Instagram And YouTube pages.
When will Santa be at your house?
Although the NORAD tracker shows Santa’s location at different points along his journey around the world, allowing you to see how far Santa is from you, the map cannot predict when he will arrive in a given household. NORAD says its information allows the tracker to follow Saint Nick throughout his Christmas journey, but cannot anticipate his route or where he will go next once he stops at a location.
“Only Santa Claus knows his route, which means we cannot predict where or when he will arrive at your home,” NORAD writes on its website. “We know from history though that it only seems to happen when children are sleeping!”
According to NORAD experts, Santa usually arrives at individual homes between 9 p.m. and midnight on Christmas Eve.
How does the Santa tracker work?
The tracker relies on radar technology and satellites to keep tabs on Santa, according to NORAD, which notes that these methods are the same methods the agency uses to protect North America’s skies . Its radar system, called the North American Warning System, includes 47 different control points in northern Canada and Alaska.
“NORAD makes a point of carefully checking radar for indications that Santa Claus is leaving the North Pole each holiday season,” its website explains. “As soon as our radar tells us Santa has taken off, we start using the same satellites we use to warn the air of possible missile launches aimed at North America.”
Families can also get updates over the phone from the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center – just call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to speak to a NORAD operator who can tell you Santa’s exact location. Lines are open between 6 a.m. and midnight Eastern Time on December 24.
More than 1,250 uniformed personnel from the United States and Canada volunteer on Christmas Eve to answer the phone calls and emails NORAD receives while its Santa tracker is live. Civilians from the U.S. Department of Defense also help – and in some years, the president and first lady to have I joined to answer a few calls.
What else do you need to know about the Santa tracker?
NORAD says Santa typically begins his Christmas journey at the International Date Line, located in the Pacific Ocean, and continues his journey westward across the world. This means that historically it begins by visiting the South Pacific regions before traveling to New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Central America and South America, in this order.
“Keep in mind that Santa’s route can be affected by weather, so it is truly unpredictable,” NORAD explains, adding that it is “coordinating with Santa’s elf launch team to confirm its launch time, but from then on, Santa takes the lead. ”
