After three weeks of cloud and incessant rain, the sun has finally made an appearance in the city of Aberdeen, in the north-east of Scotland. The last rays were recorded on January 21, marking the longest period without sunshine since official measurements began in 1957. Residents of the “Granite City” saw blue skies for the first time on Thursday afternoon. According to the Met Office, the Dyce area officially recorded 30 minutes of sunshine by 4pm, enough to break the gloomy 21-day record.
“The first thing I did was text my friends: ‘Guys, the sun is out,’” said 21-year-old Kate Finlay, a student at the University of Aberdeen. She described the moment as both strange and exciting after weeks of wet and grey weather. “It’s been hard being cooped up at home. Everything has been damp and there’s no desire to do anything. I’m so happy the sun is finally back,” she said.
The start of 2026 brought heavy snowfall to the north-east of Scotland, while January was characterised by almost continuous rainfall. Aboyne in Aberdeenshire alone received over 277mm of rain during the month – around four times the monthly average. The weather conditions affected football matches, North Sea oil workers, farming and even pothole repairs. Experts blame a “blocking of the atmospheric pattern”, which blocked the movement of upper-level air currents and kept the weather unstable for weeks.
Meteorologists are warning that although the sun has returned, a yellow warning for snow and ice is in place across Scotland overnight. However, a change in air mass is expected to bring drier and clearer conditions on Friday and Saturday. According to official figures, a 1.5°C increase in global temperatures could see up to 16% more winter rainfall in Aberdeen compared to the 80s and 90s, a clear sign of the impact of climate change. For the city’s residents, however, the 30 minutes of sunshine were more than statistics – a breath of fresh air after three grey weeks.