LAKE COUNTY – Santa Claus has been spotted over the United States, with the reports of Kris Kringle arriving in Florida at about 7 p.m.

Santa and his nine reindeer – including, of course, Rudolph in the lead – has since passed Atlanta and Charleston, South Carolina, and Knoxville, Tenn., according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Thus far in his trip around the world, Santa and the reindeer have had clear weather and appear to have not had any issues with head winds.

NORAD's map of Santa's progress – see it at www.noradsanta.org. – shows that he's managed to cover all of Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and South America, with his final push taking place in North America.

Going at his current speed, Santa is likely to hit Lake County at close to 12 a.m.

That means that good girls and boys need to make sure the cookies and milk are set out and they're safely in bed so as not to risk losing any holiday goodies.

Tracking Santa's progress around the world began in 1955, when Sears and Roebuck Co. inadvertently misprinted a telephone number for a Christmas hotline that reached the Continental Air Defense Command's (CONAD) commander-in-chief's operations hotline.

Col. Harry Shoup, the director of CONAD operations, had his staff check radar data to see how Santa was progressing on his trip from the North Pole, and they gave updates to children who called to find out Santa's location.

CONAD has since given way to NORAD, which continues the Santa-tracking tradition. NORAD is aided by hundreds of volunteers who spend Christmas Eve at the Santa Tracking Operations Center, answering phones and e-mails from thousands of inquiring children worldwide.

To speak to a NORAD Santa tracker in person, call 877-446-6723 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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