Scotland snow dusted houses and cars in Shetland on Wednesday morning, when a brief burst of heavy showers left a thin layer across the islands before temperatures rose again. The cold spell lasted only a couple of hours, but it followed the UK’s coldest May night in five years.
On the same overnight spell, the Met Office said the temperature fell to -6.1C in Altnaharra in the Highlands. Other low readings included -5.3C in Kinbrace, -4.3C in Braemar and -1.1C in Dyce, giving northern Scotland a run of sub-zero conditions.
David Wheeler in Fair Isle
David Wheeler, a weather expert in Fair Isle, said low pressure north of Shetland had drawn colder air down from Arctic regions to the islands. He described the snow as a “shock” and said that at this time of year winds would normally be bringing up air from warmer latitudes.
Wheeler also said climate change was altering movements of air and making low temperatures in May less unusual. He said milder weather was expected over the weekend, followed by a cooler period with the return of a northerly air flow.
Spring Snow in Scotland
Snow in spring in Scotland is not unusual, and some of the country’s highest hills and mountains had a dusting in early June last year and in June 2024. In 2010, more than 100 skiers used ski tows at Cairngorm Mountain resort near Aviemore for the first time in midsummer.
Earlier snow also brought disruption on 6 May 2021 when Scotland was going to the polls in a Holyrood election. This week’s brief fall in Shetland was shorter, but it left a visible coating before the islands warmed again.
For people in Shetland, the immediate change was on the ground: a short-lived coating on roofs, roads and vehicles, then a return to milder conditions. The colder air had already moved on, and Wheeler said the weekend should turn milder before another cooler northerly flow arrives.
