Melbourne Cup 2018: Heavy showers at Flemington as crowds flock to racetrack
A poncho and brolly will be your best bet for the Melbourne Cup as heavy rain is predicted to drench the city.
Forecasters warn Flemington could face a deluge with up to 15 millimetres of rain predicted for Melbourne and even a chance of a downpour during the race that stops the nation.
Rainfall could reach up to 30 millimetres in just two or three hours in some parts of the state and there is even a chance of flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
The bureau is also forecasting a 90 per cent chance of showers and the chance of thunderstorms trackside.
As the main race kicks off at 3pm, those at Flemington are facing a 30 percent chance of rain and cool, temperate conditions of about 19 degrees.
Sunbury, in Melbourne's north-west, was soaked by 20 millimetres of rain in the early hours of Tuesday morning, while a severe weather warning has been issued for Central, North Central, North East, West and South Gippsland and parts of East Gippsland and Northern Country Forecast Districts.
"We are expecting the bulk of the rain this morning with high shower activity predicted," senior forecaster Tom Delamotte said.
"But we could still see showers and a slight risk of thunderstorms right through the afternoon."
Melbourne is forecast to reach 20 degrees on Tuesday, and while it will be cloudy and wet, it will also be extremely sticky with high humidity also creating a risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
The track and speed of the race is often influenced by the rain.
It won't come close to the wettest Melbourne Cup day, though, which was in 1942 when 46.5mm of rain fell.
On the record-breaking front, it also won't be the hottest or coldest.
The hottest Melbourne Cup was 35.1 degrees in 1902 while the coldest was in 1913 when racegoers shivered in 11 degrees.
And just because Melbourne is fickle this time of the year, the bureau urged punters to also pack some extra clothing for the big race.
A wintry blast is expected to move in across the state late Tuesday night as a low pressure system sweeps the state.
"We're only expecting a top of about 16 on Wednesday and it will feel a lot colder because there will be fresh westerly winds and the chance of hail and thunderstorms," senior forecaster Michael Efron said on Monday afternoon.
"We're even expecting some snow to develop in elevated parts of the state including the Grampians as the cold air moves in."
However, the clouds are set to part, and it will be a partly sunny and dry 18 degrees on Oaks Day.
Temperatures are expected to creep back up into the low 20s by Friday, with the mercury tipped to hit a warm 21 degrees on Saturday for Stakes Day.
With AAP
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