NORAD's Santa Tracker to Keep Tabs on Saint Nick as He Crosses Inland Empire - MyNewsLA.com


NORAD's Santa Tracker to Keep Tabs on Saint Nick as He Crosses Inland Empire - MyNewsLA.com

Beginning in the predawn hours Tuesday, Old St. Nick's worldwide Christmas Eve journey, which traditionally includes passes over the Inland Empire, will be tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

This will mark the 69th straight year NORAD, located at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, has provided simulated tracking of Santa Claus' global mission to deliver gifts and cheer, according to the agency.

The tracker will go live at 1 a.m. Pacific time Tuesday via www.noradsanta.org, focused on the North Pole, awaiting Kris Kringle's epic trip.

In 2022 and 2023, the tracker captured Santa and his reindeer crossing Riverside County into San Bernardino County from south to north, as well as presented the sleigh flying directly over several cities, including Moreno Valley and Twentynine Palms.

"The (website) features Santa's North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, movie theater, holiday music, web store and more," NORAD said. "The website is available in nine languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese and Korean."

NORAD has been providing updates regarding the upcoming flight via its social media platforms.

"On Dec. 24, trackers worldwide can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask our live operators about Santa's location from 6 a.m. to midnight mountain standard time," the agency said. "Whether you're in Alexandria, Egypt, or Alexandria, Virginia, remember that Santa typically arrives between 9 p.m. and midnight local time, and ONLY when children are asleep!"

NORAD, which is responsible for identifying and sounding alarms regarding potential airborne threats to the U.S. and Canada, inaugurated the Santa tracking tradition informally in 1955 when a child called the wrong number and connected with an aerospace command colonel asking about Santa's whereabouts. He assured the girl that the jolly man would make it through the night safely.

NORAD formalized Santa tracking in 1958, providing reports to media regarding Santa's progress making the rounds on Christmas Eve.

"Though the program began due to a misdialed number, 'NORAD Tracks Santa' has flourished and is recognized as one of the Department of Defense's largest community outreach programs," according to the agency.

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