Where is Santa right now? NORAD tracker mapped his 2024 Christmas flight
Santa Claus made his annual Christmas Eve journey from the North Pole to households around the world and, in keeping with decades of tradition, the North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, once again tracked him as he delivered gifts to children. NORAD used an official map that was updated consistently to show where he was.
NORAD, the agency responsible for monitoring and defending airspaces over the United States and Canada, has tracked Santa's whereabouts every year since 1958. Its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, handled the project for three years before NORAD took over.
Here's what to know as the tracker mapped out Santa's journey.
Where did Santa's trip take him?
NORAD updated its map in real time to show Santa's locations on his trip around the world. Santa's progress was shown on a live map on NORAD's website and updates are posted on the agency's Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube pages.
From his starting point at the North Pole, the map shows Santa headed south along the Pacific rim and then across Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe. He stopped in Antarctica, and as night fell in the Western Hemisphere, he traversed South America and the Caribbean, Greenland and then Canada and the U.S., delivering more than 8 billion gifts along the way.
NORAD said Santa got back to the North Pole shortly after 5 a.m. EST.
Santa's arrival times
Although the NORAD tracker reflected where Santa was at different points on his route around the world so people could see how far Santa was from them, the map couldn't predict when he would arrive at any given household. NORAD said its intel enabled the tracker to follow Saint Nick along his Christmas journey but couldn't anticipate his itinerary or where he would travel next once he stopped at any one location.
"Only Santa know his route, which means we cannot predict where and when he will arrive at your house," NORAD writes on its website. "We do, however, know from history that it appears he arrives only when children are asleep!"
According to the experts at NORAD, Santa typically 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 those methods are the same ones the agency employs to protect skies over North America. Its radar system, called the North American Warning System, includes 47 different checkpoints across northern Canada and Alaska.
"NORAD makes a point of checking the radar closely for indications of Santa Claus leaving the North Pole every holiday season," its website explains. "The moment our radar tells us that Santa has lifted off, we begin to use the same satellites that we use in providing air warning of possible missile launches aimed at North America."
Updates were also available via phone from the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center by calling 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). Once Santa's journey was completed, a recorded voice advised called to call back on Christmas Eve 2025.
More than 1,250 uniformed personnel from the United States and Canada volunteer on Christmas Eve to answer phone calls and emails that NORAD receives while its Santa tracker is live. Civilians from the U.S. Department of Defense help too — and some years, the president and first lady have joined in to answer some calls.
The White House said President Biden and first lady Jill Biden "participated in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa tracking calls with children and families across the country."
What else is there to know about the Santa tracker?
NORAD says Santa Claus typically begins his Christmas journey at the International Date Line, located in the Pacific Ocean, and proceeds to travel westward around the globe. That means, historically, he begins by visiting areas in the South Pacific before moving on to New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Central America and South America, in that order.
"Keep in mind, Santa's route can be affected by the weather, so it's really unpredictable," NORAD says, adding that it "coordinates with Santa's Elf Launch Staff to confirm his launch time, but from that point on, Santa calls the shots."