No one needs the weather man to tell them that July has been wet and overcast; those two words are the story of the summer so far. Dampness has affected everything from hay crops on Island farms to homes where a good solution of bleach and water is the only reliable cure for mildew sprouting on walls and refrigerator doors.

As of yesterday, the Vineyard had received close to five inches of rainfall, almost twice the monthly average. The Martha’s Vineyard Airport weather station had recorded 5.13 inches of rainfall for the month yesterday morning.

The National Weather Service cooperative station in Edgartown has recorded 4.82 inches of rain.

The average rainfall for July on the Vineyard is 2.63 inches.

Although weather service records for Edgartown are incomplete going back to 1945, the records show that there have been rainy Julys in the past, although not for a good number of years. July of 1989 saw 4.74 inches of rainfall; in 1959 the number was 4.78; and in 1973 it was 6.69 inches.

The real July record breaking weather has taken place west of the Vineyard, where thunderstorms and rain showers have repeatedly doused inland areas.

Alan Dunham, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, said this week that Providence has seen far more rain than the Vineyard. As of Wednesday night at midnight 9.98 inches of rainfall had been recorded for July in Providence. The previous record was 8.08 inches, set in 1976.

Mr. Dunham said the prevailing influence in southeastern New England weather now is the traditional high pressure that forms over Bermuda.

“A Bermuda high has taken hold and it is pumping warm moist air up the coast,” said Mr. Dunham. “Every summer a large high pressure system forms and it brings heat and humidity to this area.”

If there was a day to call the first day of summer it may have been Friday, July 17, when the temperature skyrocketed to 84 degrees after an early morning heavy shower. That Friday was the first day of the year when the thermometer reached 80 degrees or higher. Muggy mornings have frequently begun with fog.

“Summer has arrived,” Mr. Dunham said.

This marks the second month that rainfall amounts have been well above normal. June was wet but not as wet as July. Total rainfall for June was 3.67 inches, an inch above normal. But what made June an unpleasant memory was the frequency of rain. There was measurable precipitation on 25 of the 30 days in the month.

In July measurable precipitation fell on 18 of 30 days.

The forecast for August?

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting cool temperatures and below average rainfall.