expression
for the first time in years
Expresses that something is happening after a gap of several years. Often used with a sense of surprise or nostalgia.
何年ぶりかに故郷へ帰った。
I returned to my hometown for the first time in years.
何年ぶりかで雪が積もった。
Snow accumulated for the first time in years.
久しぶり is a general expression for 'after a long time' without specifying the length. 何年ぶりか explicitly mentions years.
Combination of 何年 (how many years) + ぶり (after an interval) + か (question marker), literally 'after how many years?'. Used as a set phrase meaning 'for the first time in years'.