Melbourne Cup 2021 weather forecast: ‘Major’ weather event nears

A huge weather system bringing rain and storms is descending on Melbourne — but the Melbourne Cup should avoid being a washout.

Forecasters are predicting a “fantastic day” for the Melbourne Cup with blue skies and a high of 30C.

But the glorious conditions are only by the skin of the Cup’s teeth. Within hours of the race finishing, a deluge is set to begin.

A low pressure system is barrelling across the country and is headed straight for Flemington bringing storms and rain.

“A mostly sunny start on Tuesday with freshening northerly winds will bring down dry heat,” said Sky News Weather meteorologist Alison Osborne.

“That will make for a warm Melbourne Cup sitting over 30C for much of cental and western Victoria.”

It could be the hottest day in Melbourne for months on Tuesday.

“It’s a well timed race because the rains are coming the very next day,” added Ms Osborne on Tuesday morning.

And that could have implications for the next big race meeting – Thursday’s Oaks Day.

Storms which bubbled up in Western Australia are tracking east. They are then colliding with moisture headed southward from Queensland with the trough bringing extra rainfall to Victoria and Tasmania for the coming days.

That will deliver downpours, potential flooding and cooler temperatures for Melbourne.

But crucially, the inclement weather is unlikely to get to Melbourne until Tuesday evening at the earliest or more likely Wednesday morning.

Tuesday is looking warm and dry over Flemington. Picture: Sky News Weather.

After Tuesday everything changes with as much as 25mm forecast for the gauge. Maximums will drop to 25C midweek but it will be a warm night leading into Wednesday with the mercury not dipping below 20C.

On Wednesday the rain is due to settle in over Melbourne. . Picture: Sky News Weather.

Kennedy Oaks day could be wet

The next big race at Flemington, the Kennedy Oaks Day on November 4, could be more of a damp squib.

The ground will be wet from Wednesday's downfalls. While there won’t be quite as much rain on Thursday, around 5mm is still a possibility. The rain should clear in the afternoon. Temperatures will be around 20C.

Tuesday will remain warm and bright with the inclement conditions saved for Wednesday. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images for the VRC)

As the trough passes there will be intermittent showers all the way into the weekend in Melbourne with some heavy falls on Saturday.

So Cup Day could be fancy hat weather, but Oaks Day might be more like waterproof mac weather.

Originally published as Melbourne Cup 2021 weather forecast: ‘Major’ weather event nears