Local Christmas forecast · 2026
White Christmas in Kirkwall?
Your local snow odds for Christmas Day, built from 34 winters of observations and our latest forecast model.
Scotland3 m elevation1 km local model
21%Chance of a white Christmas
What history says
Christmas snow in Kirkwall
Over the 34 years from 1991–2024, Kirkwall has had a white Christmas about 2 years in 10: 7 of 34 years saw snow fall on Christmas Eve or Day. The most recent was 2010.
21%
White Christmas
6%
Snow on the Day
12%
Snow on the Eve
Christmases in Kirkwall, 1991–2024
Observed history
Snow fell on Christmas Eve or Day
7of 34
1990s
90
91
92
White Christmas
9394
White Christmas
95White Christmas
9697
98
99
2000s
00
White Christmas
0102
03
White Christmas
0405
06
07
08
White Christmas
092010s
White Christmas
1011
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
2020s
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
About Kirkwall
Elevation
3 m
Region
Scotland
Model
1 km, in-house
Higher and more northerly places tend to score better, and Kirkwall sits at 3 m.
Nearby places
Frequently asked questions
- Will it snow in Kirkwall this Christmas?
- The current estimate is a 21% chance of a white Christmas in Kirkwall in 2026. This far out the number comes from our climate model; it sharpens on its own as the live forecast comes into range, within about a month of Christmas.
- How often does Kirkwall have a white Christmas?
- Over 1991–2024, snow fell on Christmas Eve or Day in Kirkwall about 2 years in 10 (7 of 34 years).
- When did Kirkwall last have a white Christmas?
- The most recent white Christmas in Kirkwall in our 1991–2024 records was 2010.