Not a lot of people know this, but until about two centuries ago the accent in "July" was on the first syllable - so it rhymed with "duly" and "moody", rather than "deny" or "supply". Perhaps it all goes back to the fact that the month was named after Julius Caesar, who was not after all, as far as we know, Jul-i-ei-us Caesar. Be that as it may, July shares the laurels with August for being the warmest month.
The average daily maximum temperature in July is often in excess of 20 degrees Celsius. Indeed, in a few memorable Julys, the temperature has soared to 32 or 33 degrees, but these sub-tropical heights are reached only on rare occasions.
But it is a duller month than June. The average July day has between four and six hours of sunshine - about an hour less than the equivalent June figure. The decrease is caused in part by the days becoming shorter, but it also reflects the more cloudy conditions to which this month is prone.
Although you might not think so from experience of late, we have just emerged from what, on average, ought to be the driest period of the annual cycle - the months from February to June. But the enhanced power of the summer sun around this time often results in a rise in pressure over the Atlantic, and a corresponding fall over the Continent - almost like the sea breeze effect on a continental scale. The consequence is a more westerly flow of wind over Ireland, and a moist air-flow which brings with it more cloud, higher relative humidity and, usually, an increase in rainfall.
But there is a richness about the July sky which far surpasses that of any other month. Skies in July have a unique wealth of detail and variety, perhaps stemming from the accumulated warmth, or maybe associated with the typically high water vapour content of the atmosphere. In any event, one day the sky may be characterised by a deep blue, relieved by a complex pattern of white fleecy cirrus clouds; another by an array of dark threatening cumulonimbus, giving clear warning of impending hail or thunder; and on a third the grey monotony of a thoroughly wet day may break just in time to reveal a wild, lurid and fantastic sunset, unmatchable for its complexity and wealth of colour.
And a wet July, particularly, causes the vegetation to assume a vividness of tint that far exceeds that which may be displayed at any other time of year.