PENNSYLVANIA, USA — During the most wonderful time of the year, Santa is always on the move, especially Christmas Eve night. North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, keeps track of all the magic!
"We are pretty excited this is the best night of the year. The folks that make this happen look forward to this all year round," NORAD Operations Director Major-General Patrick Carpentier said. "It's a great day for everyone, and everybody loves doing it."
550 volunteers and NORAD satellites and radar, monitor the location of Santa and his reindeer and count the presents he gives out throughout his global trip.
You may be wondering, how they are able to do this. Well, it comes down to the help of the volunteers and state-of-the-art technology!
"NORAD has an array of radars that are in northern Canada and northern Alaska the north warning system. That is usually the first detection that we have that Santa has left the north pole," Major-General Carpentier said. "Once we have detected him on radar, our satellites that are in geosynchronous orbit, pick him up on infrared by basically tracking Rudolph's nose."
The team follows Santa to the international dateline where he starts his journey around the world, moving from east to west throughout the next 24 hours.
NORAD officials say Santa keeps his route a secret, but they have learned a few of his tricks over the years.
"There are many factors that may impact his route and we don't have all that information, so he does keep it secret from us," Major-General Carpentier said. "We have a pretty good idea of historical trends, but we don't know exactly where he is going to go year to year."
What we do know, all the gifts will arrive on time despite the winds and bitter cold we are experiencing locally!
"There will be no delays. He has been doing this for several centuries and has never missed a Christmas eve," Major-General Carpentier said. "There will be no issues with the weather. He will be on time."
To track Santa click here or call 1(877) HI-NORAD.