Northern Ireland

Where is the sun? Why the north has been covered in cloud recently

Weather conditions have been keeping temperatures high but the sunshine away

A judge said the Government had given ‘clear and lawful’ reasons for backing the power plant project
Ireland has seen around one hour of sunshine so far this month (Joe Giddens/PA)
By Mark Robinson

While dull days and grey skies are often considered the norm in this part of the world, weather conditions this month have left a lot of us wondering if the sun is still there.

The north has seen roughly one hour of sunshine over the past 11 days and Aldergrove weather station in Antrim has recorded just 36 minutes of sun across the first week of November.

Weather conditions so far this month have been dominated by low cloud as well as mist and fog – for the most part, rain has stayed away and temperatures have been unseasonably high.

More: Sunless gloom set to lift early next week

Why has there been so little sunshine?

The lack of sun has been caused by a spell of high pressure – this is also known as an anticyclone.

Join the Irish News Whatsapp channel

While high pressure typically blocks rain fronts and is associated with warm, sunny days, it can also result in an ‘anticyclonic gloom’.

This happens when the area of high pressure traps moisture close to the earth’s surface, resulting in low cloud, mist and fog.

At this time of year, the sun is much weaker and can’t break through clouds, while low winds are keeping them in place.

The cloud rethickens overnight when the temperatures drop and moisture condenses.

Why has it been a warm November so far?

The area of high pressure has been keeping temperatures unseasonably high.

Temperatures as high as 18 degrees have been recorded so far this month, which is around 8 degrees more than average.

Several records have been broken at weather stations both north and south.

Will the weather conditions last much longer?

High pressure is expected to continue to influence our weather for the next week or so.

However, there could be some brief change on Sunday as rain is expected to come in from the Atlantic.

Going into next week, the area of high pressure is expected to have less moisture and therefore it should allow for more sunshine and less cloud.