A classic northeaster early this week on top of an unusually wet and gray June left Islanders wondering if they would ever see the sun again. From Monday through Wednesday an offshore ocean storm spun 200 miles southeast of Nantucket, bringing sustained wind, ruining outdoor events and keeping sailors on dry land.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Taunton said the storm was an anomaly, not big enough to be a gale, but strong enough to pound away for three straight days.

“It is a cut-off low that is drifting on its own and not getting caught up in the jet stream,” explained Bill Simpson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

North and northeast facing beaches took the brunt of the storm.

Edgartown harbor master Charlie Blair said a number of small boats were damaged, and Phil Hale at the Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard reported at least three boats on the beach in Vineyard Haven. “Three days of sustained winds of 30 mph is a lot,” Mr. Hale said.

He said the wind anemometer at the shipyard recorded a high gust of 56 mph.

In addition to its size the storm was remarkable for its stable temperatures, ranging from 57 to 64 degrees. On a normal day in June when the sun is hot, temperatures can vary from 20 to 30 degrees from the heat of day to the cool of evening.

Rainfall amounts from the storm were not significant; less than half an inch of rain fell over the past week. But it was nearly constant, changing from light mist to drizzle and fast moving bands of showers.

At press time yesterday, the weather system was still circulating out at sea but no longer producing rain clouds.

The biggest influence on the New England weather has been the jet stream, which is normally up near the Canadian border but now is overhead. As long as the stream remains in position, there is the potential for overcast skies and some rain. For the next five days, the National Weather Service is forecasting a 30 per cent chance of rain.

On the street there is speculation that the weather is somehow related to global warming.

Not so.

Everett H. Poole, 78, a Chilmark lobster fisherman and former Menemsha fishmonger, remembers similar weather patterns in the summer. “I can remember having northeasters in July, and when the swordfishing boats would be tied up at the dock for five to six days. We had one summer, I don’t remember when, sometime in the 1940s, when the boats were tied up all summer,” he said, adding:

“We used to figure that a northeaster was often good for seven days. Lately, they last two or three days.”