Coldest Melbourne Cup day for two decades on cards
Fix firm your fascinators and rug up on Melbourne Cup day, as forecasters tip we are set for one of the coldest in many years.
Victoria
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The race that stops the nation could be set to take on a new mantle this year with forecasters tipping it will be the coldest Melbourne Cup in almost two decades.
Tuesday is tipped to reach a maximum of just 14 degrees, which would make it the coldest Melbourne Cup since 1995.
The Bureau of Meteorology said a combination of “damaging winds”, thunderstorms across Sunday into Monday and an expected cold front into Tuesday, could leave spectators reaching for their coats instead of their fascinators.
“Behind the cold front, we’re expecting some really cold air that’s likely to bring some lowered snow levels in the alpine areas,” the BOM’s Ilana Cherny said.
“There’s expected to be some really, really cold air so we are forecasting a top of 14 degrees and if that’s how it eventuates, it will be the coldest Melbourne Cup since 1995.”
The 1995 event reached 13.6 degrees but the record for the coldest Cup belongs to 1913 Melbourne Cup, when it reached just 11 degrees, rained and hailed.
Our chilly Cup Day is set to follow a weekend of wild winds and thunderstorms in some parts of the state.
The BOM put out a severe weather warning for damaging winds on Sunday and into Monday.
in the Maryborough, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Ballarat, Melbourne and Bacchus Marsh areas. The winds are expected to peak from 90 km/h to 100 km/h on Monday morning.
Damaging winds may also impact Melbourne and surrounding areas on Sunday afternoon and evening.
Echuca flood warning
Residents in parts of Echuca and Echuca Village were given an emergency warning on Saturday evening which is still in effect.
The warning comes after the Victorian SES responded to 174 requests for assistance in the past 24 hours with eight active cases.
The main requests from residents across the state included seeking assistance from fallen trees and flooded areas.
Dams overflowing
Melbourne’s water storage levels rose to 97.4 per cent on Saturday, with the city’s biggest dam, Thomson Dam, overflowing after receiving 18mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am.
The latest wet weather has brought more chaos to the Green Acres Golf Course in Kew, near the Yarra River, which had 15 of its 18 holes underwater on Saturday.
General manager Peter Busch said he expected the course to be closed for another three weeks due to the build-up of water.
“We were flooded last week, got all the water off from the first flood, and then on Friday we got hit again,” he said.
“It’s disappointing players can’t get on the course, but its not as bad as people who have lost properties and businesses up north, so we have to put it in perspective.”
Residents in Yarra Glen, in the city’s outer east, were also issued with a ‘watch and act’ warning on Saturday morning due to the rising Yarra River from Coldstream through to Warrandyte.
Authorities warned the river was peaking and expected to remain above the moderate flood level of 5.10m until Sunday.
A Cup Day harness racing meeting scheduled for Yarra Glen Racecourse on Tuesday has been cancelled due to the recent wet weather and forecast of more rain in the coming days.
Racing Victoria has also decided to scrap a Cup Day meeting in Wangaratta, and move the Kyneton Cup on Wednesday to a new location to be announced on Sunday.
Gastro outbreak linked to floods
Meanwhile, people in flood-ravaged communities in the Goulburn Valley have become “very sick” with gastro, sparking fears the outbreak could grow as rivers again rise in the area.
The SES stated “many” cases of gastroenteritis and diarrhoea had emerged and urged locals to avoid contact with floodwaters to prevent illness, and wash their hands after going to the toilet, before eating, preparing food and cleaning.
“Floodwaters may contain sewage and other toxic waste and can also overflow into your home,” the authority wrote.
“Contact with sewage can make people sick, so clean and disinfect any impacted areas.”
“Moderate” flooding is tipped to continue along Seven Creeks in Kialla West through the weekend following rainfall on Friday, according to the SES.
The waterway was steady at 5.21m on Saturday at 1pm – above the moderate level of 5m – and waters were slowly receding upstream at Euroa.
A fresh warning was issued about 2pm on Saturday for residents in Bunbartha, Kaarimba, and Mundoona following “severe water inundation”.
Areas north of Lords Rd, Buchanan Rd and up to Lock Garry Rd were reportedly under water, with only local traffic allowed in the area.
Authorities also advised that many septic tanks had failed and floodwaters were contaminated, and advised residents to avoid any contact.
Major flood warning issued for northwest
A major flood warning has been issued for the Murrabit West area in the state’s northwest as rising waters on the Murray River continue to wreak havoc.
Residents in low-lying areas have been told to take action, as flooding from the Murray and Loddon rivers affects buildings and homes in the area.
The alert, which came through just after 3am Saturday, said Salue Rd, Dawe Rd, Flowerday Ln and sections of Murrabit West Rd were of particular concern.
Relief centres have been opened to affected residents in Swan Hill and Echuca.
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