Aberdeen's 21-Day Sunless Streak Ends as Sunshine Breaks Through
Aberdeen has finally experienced sunshine for the first time in 21 days, marking the conclusion of the longest sunless period in the area since Met Office records began in 1957. Residents of the Granite city in north-east Scotland glimpsed the sun late on Thursday afternoon, with the last recorded sunshine occurring on 21 January.
Official Sunshine Recording and Weather Context
The Met Office confirmed that 30 minutes of sun was officially recorded in the Dyce area in the hour leading up to 4pm. This break in the grey weather follows weeks of unrelenting rain in the region and throughout the UK. In January, more than 277mm of rain fell on Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, which is approximately four times the monthly average. Additionally, the first 10 days of the year brought heavy snow to the north-east of Scotland.
Broader UK Weather Patterns and Warnings
In just the first three days of this month, south-east England received nearly a third of its average February rainfall. The wintry weather is expected to persist, with a yellow warning for snow and ice in place for most of Scotland and northern England until 12 noon on Friday. Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge explained that an air mass called Arctic maritime air is driving temperatures down.
"The snow and ice warnings that we’ve issued at the moment cover pretty much Scotland and northern parts of England. There may be some snow showers a little bit further south than that," Madge said. "We’re not expecting any particularly impactful snow and the conditions will be quite brief before we get another system coming in from the Atlantic over the weekend, but for the next few days it will feel quite a bit different, as we’ve got colder air coming in."
Forecast for Improved Conditions
BBC Scotland weather presenter Judith Ralston highlighted a shift in weather patterns. "With a change in weather type, we finally lose the stuck pattern of cloud, rain, and bitingly cold winds. This finally breaks, allowing a northerly air mass to set in, bringing much drier, brighter conditions, sunshine on the way on Friday and Saturday and a few wintry showers on Friday," she stated.
The recent sunshine in Aberdeen provides a welcome respite after the prolonged period of dismal weather, though colder conditions are anticipated to continue across parts of the UK in the coming days.
