Where is Santa Claus right now?
It’s the question of the day. In fact, the whereabouts of the jolly old elf is so important that the United States government and the world’s largest search engine have both dedicated resources to monitor him on his flight around the world Tuesday.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command and the search engine Google powered up their radars to track Santa Claus as he left the North Pole at 5 a.m. ET Tuesday.
He was headed your way Russia, in case you are listening.
For more than 60 years, NORAD has turned all of its tracking capabilities toward following the progress of Santa Claus and his reindeer on their Christmas Eve flight.
Over at Google, you can search for Santa’s location directly in Google Maps or on google.com, in addition to using the search engine’s Santa Tracker.
“As we get closer to the big day, you can ask your Pixel device or Google Home 'Where is Santa'. The answer may surprise you,” Google says on the site.
The sites are now in tracking mode, and we will be following along. Come back here beginning at 5 p.m. ET to follow Santa as he makes his way toward the United States.
Live updates
North to Canada and west to California
2:30 a.m. ET Dec. 25, 2019: Santa is turning around in Canada and heading back to the United States to deliver the rest of his gifts. He has already delivered more than 6 billion. Watch the tracker above to see Santa finish up his night and head for home.
Wyoming and points west
2:19 a.m. ET Dec 25, 2019: Santa is getting closer to the end of his one-night around-the-world trip. He is in Wyoming and Utah now.
Colorado and Utah
2:10 a.m. ET Dec. 25, 2019: Santa has moved to the upper midwest after a pass through Texas and Mexico. He is flying between Utah and Colorado.
Texas then Mexico
1:44 a.m. ET Dec. 25, 2019: Santa continues through Texas from Dallas to Houston to Kingsville to Monterey, Mexico.
Kansas and Oklahoma
1:30 a.m. ET Dec. 25, 2091: Santa has made a pass through the middle of the country and is headed to Texas.
Canada, then back through the states
1 am. ET Dec. 25, 2019: Santa’s back in Canada at Sand Lakes Provincia Park, Manitoba. He is on his way to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. From there, Santa will head to Minot, North Dakota, and back through the heart of the country.
The Midwest
12:45 a.m. ET Dec. 25, 2019: Santa is quickly making his way across the Midwest from St. Louis to Des Moines, Iowa, to Munster, Indiana.
Shreveport, Louisiana
12:36 a.m. ET Dec. 25, 2019: Santa has moved through Shreveport, Louisiana and Eureka Springs, Arkansas, before heading to St. Louis, Missouri. By now, children all across the country should be in bed.
New Orleans, Louisiana
12:30 a.m. ET Dec. 25, 2019: Santa is nearing New Orleans. If he doesn’t stop for red beans and rice, he will head to Yazoo City, Mississippi, after he has delivered his presents..
Ecuador
12:15 a.m. ET Dec. 25, 2019: Santa is on his way to the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador. He will be heading back toward the middle of the U.S. soon, where children across the Midwest and all the way out to California are urged to be in bed and asleep if they expect gifts from Santa.
Central America
12:06 a.m. ET Dec. 25, 2019: Santa is over Central America. He is headed to Costa Rica having just left Nicaragua.
Pensacola, Florida
11:55 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is nearing the Gulf of Mexico and has been spotted over Pensacola Beach. Santa and the reindeer offer a salute to the flyers at NAS Pensacola, the home of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.
Lexington, Kentucky
11:45 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa has visited about a third of the United States. He’s in Kentucky and headed to Tennessee.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
11:30 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Kids in the Upper Midwest take note: Santa is in Michigan and he is headed south. Time for bed.
Niagra Falls
11:25 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is at Niagra Falls -- the Canadian side -- and heading to Thunder Bay.
Watertown, New York
11:16 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: After a trip to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Santa is headed to Watertown, N.Y. Watertown is the home of the safety pin and five and dime stores.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
11:10 ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa heads into Canada as he closes in on 5.5 billion gifts delivered.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
11 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: It’s late and you need to be in bed now, kids in New Hampshire. Santa is over Portsmouth right now.
New York, New York
10:50 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: New York, New York, a wonderful town. But Santa has no time to see the sights. He’s headed to Newport, Rhode Island.
Pennsylvania
10:45 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is in Philly, but he has no time for a cheesesteak sandwich because he is headed to Jersey.
Washington, D.C.
10:35 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa avoided any nasty hearings and made it into and out of Washington without incident. He is heading to Annapolis, Maryland. Go Navy!
Roanoke, Virginia
10:30 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is in Roanoke, Virginia, and headed as quick as a flash north towards Williamsburg, Virginia.
Goldsboro, North Carolina
10:25 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is flying up the East Coast, now. He was in Goldsboro, North Carolina before he headed toward Colfax, North Carolina.
He’s in Georgia
10:20 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Marietta, Georgia, near Atlanta, is the last place Santa was spotted. It looks like he is headed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
He’s in the United States
10:09 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa has made it to the United States! He is in Key West, Florida. If you are a child who is on Santa’s “Nice” list and you live on the Eastern Coast of the U.S., you need to be in bed NOW.
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
10:05 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is crossing the island nation of Cuba, 100 miles from the United States. He’s headed to Nassau in the Bahamas.
Bogota, Colombia
10 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is headed to Bogota in Colombia. The city is an old one, founded in 1,538 which makes it 1,258 years younger than St. Nicholas who was born in 280 A.D.
Amazon Rainforest
9:44 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is back in South America in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. It’s the world’s largest rainforest.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
9:30 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: After a couple of stops up north, Santa is heading south for some warm weather. He’s in Puerto Rico and he must be getting tired because he has delivered nearly 5 billion gifts today.
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
9:14 p.m. ET Dec. 24 2019: The sleigh is getting an Air Escort to St. John’s Newfoundland, and Labrador, Canada. St. John’s is the capital. The man who invented the radio, Guglielmo Marconi, received the first transatlantic wireless signal in St. John’s.
Greenland
8:59 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is spending a few moments in Greenland, which is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. Three-quarters of the country is covered by the only permanent ice sheet outside Antarctica.
Southern Caribbean
8:41 p.m. E.T. Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is moving through the islands of the Southern Caribbean – St. Lucia, French Guadeloupe, Antigua and Barbuda – then it’s back to Greenland.
Georgetown, Guyana
8:29 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa’s sleigh was spotted over Georgetown, Guyana moments ago. So far, Santa has delivered 4.5 billion gifts today.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
8:14 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is headed to Rio, but he has no time to enjoy the beaches. He’s off to Brasilia, Brazil, next.
Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina
7:58 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Don’t cry for Santa, Argentina. Cry for yourself if you are not in bed when he comes to your town. He’s headed to San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, next.
Falkland Islands
7:44 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: After a quick diversion to Palmer Station, Antarctica, Santa is on the way to the Falkand Islands.
Salvador, Brazil
7:30 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is now in the Western Hemisphere in Brazil, the largest country in South America.
Cape Verde Islands
7:16 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: The Cape Verde Islands, off the coast of Africa, is the last place Santa visited. He’s on the way to Brazil.
Faroe Islands
7 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa has just left Cork, Ireland, and is on the way to Torshavn, Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands are north of Ireland.
London, England
6:45 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Here’s hoping the youngest royals are asleep. The jolly ole elf is in jolly ole England. Can North American be far behind?
Nouakchott, Mauritania
6:30 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: All of Santa’s reindeer – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, and, of course, Rudolph will have their paws full with snowy and foggy weather in parts of the United States. All the reindeer and Santa were just spotted above Touba, Senegal headed for Nouakchott, Mauritania.
Lomé, Togo
6:15 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa was seen in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. And he’s heading to Lome, Togo. Santa has visited half the world now.
Tunis, Tunisia
5:59 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa has left Cordoba, Spain, for Tunis, Tunisia. Tunis sits in northeastern Tunisia on the Lake of Tunis.
Marseille, France
5:40 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: After a stop in Monaco, Santa is making a beeline for Marseille, France, on the Mediterranean.
Brescia, Italy
5:27 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is back in Italy, but just for a brief stop. He’s on the way to Amsterdam. So far, he’s delivered 3.6 billion gifts!
Trondheim, Norway
5:13 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is in familiar territory in the northern part of Norway. It’s very cold there in the winter. Wild reindeer are abundant in Norway.
Warsaw, Poland
4:56 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa has made it to Europe! After leaving Vienna, Austria, he is heading to Warsaw Poland.
Novosibirsk, Russia
11:32 a.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Novosibirsk is a city of more than 1 million and is named after St. Nick! People from more than eighty ethnicities and nationalities live there.
Newman, Australia
10:30 a.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa and his reindeer are heading into western Australia. Santa may need to lose the red coat. The average high temperature in Newman in December is 102 degrees!
Japan
9:17 a.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa is now over Japan, a country that has 6,852 islands. Santa has delivered more than 1 billion gifts.
Chatham Islands
7 a.m. ET Dec. 24, 2019: Santa left Christchurch, New Zealand, only minutes ago and has already made it to the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. About 600 people live there. As of 7 a.m., Santa had already delivered more than 300 million gifts.