We’ve been battling through Scotland’s snow every single day of 2026

Like many in the north-east of Scotland, I have walked in deep snow every day of 2026 so far; This wasn’t exactly the start of the new year I was hoping for.

White goods started dropping heavily on January 1st and have been a constant presence in our lives ever since.

It caused huge disruption. Hundreds of schools were closed, many roads became impassable, and some people in the countryside were snowed in for more than a week.

As the BBC news site’s Northeast Scotland correspondent, I cover the effects of winter weather while also experiencing its effects on my own life.

Communities in rural Aberdeenshire have had a really tough time over the last 10 days; much worse than those in the city.

But this is probably the worst period of sustained heavy snowfall we have seen in Aberdeen for 15 years.

I spent Christmas – ironically not white – and New Year’s in Peterhead in Aberdeenshire.

The snow started on New Year’s Day.

I was heading back to work in Aberdeen on Monday, but rather than risk driving in the dark in challenging conditions that morning, I got back on the road on Sunday afternoon in daylight with what appeared to be a window of mild weather.

Even 30 miles per hour between Peterhead and Ellon didn’t feel very comfortable in the conditions. And then for the final stretch into Aberdeen the main A90 was reduced to a single lane and I was never going above 50mph.

I decided I had a better chance of parking at the office and walking home, but when I arrived my car was stuck in deep snow.

He was pushed into a void with the help of two kind colleagues. It’s been there ever since.

On Monday, I set the alarm for 06:45 and headed out at 07:30 to take photos, wearing a warm hoodie, scarf, gloves and sturdy boots. Cars were buried in deep snow.

For many, this was supposed to mark the return of schools and the start of the working year.

But school closures have meant the roads are incredibly quiet.

The exams of many students, including my son in the fifth grade, which were supposed to be held later in the week, were postponed.

An Amber snow warning came out from the Met Office on Tuesday, just as it looked like there might be some light at the end of the tunnel.

The first person I met that morning was shoveling snow in front of a business.

Later in the day, Aberdeenshire Council released a statement. “big event” The effect of snowfall continued.

The local authority said people were facing a “prolonged period of significant impact”, including having their communications cut off.

Declaring the major incident allowed increased activities to respond to the weather by redeploying personnel.

On the way home, I stopped at a local store to buy some food. However, many shelves and refrigerator sections were empty; especially bread, milk and vegetables.

Was this an indication of an effort to get supplies into the city, or the result of panic buying? Probably both.

It almost felt a bit like the early days of the Covid lockdown.

The last packet of shrimp and a few oven chips was mine. Maybe not my fondest cooking memory, but somehow it felt appropriate to gather ingredients from the freezer section.

The sound of heavy snow falling off the roof during the night until Wednesday may have woken me up, but it was a welcome sign that a slight thaw may have finally begun.

After all, this was now the seventh day.

People were still using shovels to clear the sidewalks, but instead of thick snow there was now much more slush.

The roads were much cleaner than before and the cars appeared to have much less snow on them than in recent days.

When we woke up Thursday morning, expectations that the ice would continue to melt turned out to be short-lived.

Newly fallen snow covered the city’s streets, cars and roofs again.

I think this was the low point of the week, our hopes were dashed.

But I definitely cheered up when I came across a young family enjoying the snow.

Mum Esther watched two-year-old Charlotte, six-year-old Daniel and nine-year-old Iona joyfully slide down the hill on a sled. Daniel then hit me with a snowball. These are simple pleasures.

Friday was our ninth day in the snow, but at least it didn’t look like we’d spent any more nights.

It felt like Groundhog Day at this stage.

But I knew I was lucky compared to some. A radio colleague was snowed in for days in an Aberdeenshire village and had to work from home.

Neighbors helped each other with food and drinks.

Our television colleagues also had to deal with terrible conditions during filming. deep snow Reaching disconnected communities.

Now working through snow and ice every day, I came across a mother and her daughter clearing their car of heavy snow.

Steph and four-year-old Ellie took a teamwork approach; Steph was using an orange shovel to clear the worst part of the snow, and Ellie was using a small scraper.

I have loved photography since I was little, so I enjoyed trying to take stunning photos of the snow throughout the week.

My favorite photo I captured this week was taken at Victoria Park in Aberdeen on Tuesday morning.

It was a woman walking in the snow, framed by trees. After he passed me, I turned and picked him up.

This area survived in November and December 2010 deep snowfall for many consecutive daysIt again caused school closures and major travel problems.

This was just as bad, if not worse.

Weather warnings are in place for Saturday and Sunday, but it looks like there may be light at the end of the tunnel with milder temperatures forecast next week.

Would we want to experience something like this again anytime soon? Chance of profit.