NORAD Santa Tracker: Watch Him On The Way To Maryland

MARYLAND — Santa Claus will have clear flying conditions on Christmas Eve in Maryland. The National Weather Service is forecasting a perfect December night in the Baltimore-Washington area.

The North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) will be tracking the big man's sleigh.

For 60 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have been keeping tabs on Santa's flight.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD commander-in-chief's operations "hotline." The director of operations at the time, Col. Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.

In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.

Watch Santa above or here on the NORAD Santa tracker.

SEE ALSO:

• Santa Photos Of Kids, Pets Shared By MD Readers
• Maryland On 'Best Places For Christmas' List
• Best Christmas Lights In Maryland 2018
• Maryland's Favorite Christmas Song — Do You Agree?

Holiday Forecast

Here's the holiday forecast from the National Weather Service for the Baltimore metro area:

Christmas Eve: Mostly clear during the evening, then cloudy overnight, with a low around 30. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Christmas Day: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Tuesday Night: Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 31. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 45. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Light and variable wind.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.

Thursday Night: Periods of rain. Low around 39. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday: Occasional showers. High near 58. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.

Sunday: A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday Night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42.

— By Patch editors Tim Darnell and Elizabeth Janney

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Photo by Elizabeth Janney.