Blue sky, white clouds. Rays of sunshine.

And, for what felt like the first time in a long time, genuinely clean air.

Canberrans discarded their P2 masks and rushed outdoors en masse as the air quality index dipped into single figures on Sunday morning.

For those who have been glued to their Air Rater app for much of the past month - and, let's be honest, that's most of us - that means the air was "good".

Runners were out pounding the pavement.

Children were flying kites again at the National Arboretum. When was the last time we saw that?

There were people skating with joy - literally - on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin.

"I'm dancing to celebrate the fresh air again," said Elizabeth Savage.

She added "can we get this shit done already?", a gentle plea for the bushfire smoke to leave and never return

After the brief burst of sunshine, the weather is expected to take another turn at the start of the new working week.

The Bureau of Meteorology says there is a 90 per cent chance of rain in the nation's capital on Monday, with predicted falls of between eight and 20 millimetres, likely in the form of a storm.

Maximum temperatures will fluctuate between a mild 25 on Tuesday and a hot, sunny 34 next Sunday, with minimums staying fairly consistent between 13 and 15 except for a warm 19 early on Thursday morning.