Friday marked the final dry day of Ireland’s current settled spell, with brief but welcome sunshine breaking through the persistent cloud cover that has dominated the past ten days.

The NASA Modis satellite captured a rare midday clearing over the country, offering visual confirmation of the reprieve from what is meteorologically referred to as “anticyclonic gloom.”

This phenomenon, caused by a high-pressure system trapping moisture near the surface under a warmer air layer, has led to widespread overcast skies and minimal sunshine despite otherwise calm conditions. Dublin Airport recorded just six minutes of sunshine in the past week, and several Met Éireann synoptic stations have reported none at all.

October’s sunshine totals are on course to hit record lows at several locations, with Met Éireann expected to confirm the figures in its monthly climate summary. Ironically, the incoming spell of unsettled weather may actually bring more sunshine. Clearer skies and brighter spells are forecast at times on Sunday, and are likely to deliver more sunshine than the entire previous ten days combined.

Sunshine returned to parts of Leinster early Friday afternoon, with scenes from Dún Laoghaire offering a rare glimpse of blue sky. The shift comes ahead of a weekend marked by rain warnings and gusty winds, but also a chance for the country to finally soak up some light.