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NORAD ready for another year of tracking Santa's flight
Pretty soon, Santa and his reindeer will depart the North Pole to deliver presents to children all over the world, and keeping a close eye on the operation is out country's defense system, NORAD. Officers there will track Saint Nick as his sleigh travels through the skies. FOX 5 NY spoke with retired Lt. Col. John Cornelio about this year's event.
On December 24, the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD will once again track Santa Claus' annual flight around the globe to deliver toys to boys and girls.
NORAD has been tracking Santa since 1958, ensuring that Mr. Kringle has a safe trip to all of his destinations.
"There's really three ways that we end up tracking Santa," said retired Army Lt. Col. John Cornelio. "We use our radar systems, our satellites, and then we also use our fighter jets, both from the United States and Canada to track Santa's journey."
As Santa enters North American airspace, fighter jets from the U.S. and Canada will go up to say hello to Father Christmas, who will give the pilots a wave before continuing on his rounds.
According to NORAD, Santa arrives at every child's house somewhere between 9 p.m. and midnight, but only after they've gone to bed.
And despite the winter storm currently slamming much of the nation, officials say they don't expect the weather to affect Santa's travels one bit.
If you want to track Santa this year, head over to noradsanta.org. You can also call NORAD for an update on Christmas Eve by calling 877-HI-NORAD (877-446-6723) starting at 6 a.m. Eastern.