NORAD Tracking Santa on Christmas Eve

Want to know when Santa will be in your area?

Never fear! The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has you covered.

For more than 50 years, they've been tracking Santa around the globe, and a team of volunteers will back at it on Christmas Eve.

"Each and every day throughout the year, all of us here at NORAD work diligently to defend and protect our nations," says Gen. Charles H. Jacoby, Jr. NORAD commander. "It is an honor for us to take one day each year to expand our missions to share goodwill and holiday spirit across the globe through the NORAD Tracks Santa program.

NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa – radar, satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets. However, only Santa knows his route, which means NORAD cannot predict where and when he will get to your home.

Santa usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west, NORAD noticed, meaning he moves from the South Pacific to New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and Canada before arriving in the United States.

In most countries, NORAD said it seems Santa arrives between 9 p.m. and midnight on Dec. 24.

NORAD will start tracking Santa’s real-time progress starting at 1 a.m. on Dec. 24. This year, NORAD partnered with Bing and Cesium to track Santa.

On Dec. 24, children can also call or email to check when Santa will be nearby. Dial 1-877-446-6723 (operators are available until 3 a.m. Dec. 25 to answer questions) or email noradtrackssanta@outlook.com to get an update.

Be sure to check the NORAD tracking website, as well for information on Santa and his journey.