Victorians are set to shiver through below-average spring temperatures, and flurries will fall on the alps, before the weather improves at the end of the week ahead of Melbourne Cup Day.
The MotoGP’s swansong in Phillip Island was delayed due to poor visibility from rain affecting the event’s medical helicopter, meaning no racing would occur until at least 4pm on Sunday, as the state was lashed with heavy downpours.
In Melbourne, it was a soggy start to the day, with more than 22 millimetres of rain falling across the 12 hours to midday on Sunday. In the city’s south-west, Altona recorded heavier totals of 40 millimetres of rain across 24 hours.
Health authorities remain on high alert for a thunderstorm asthma emergency, due to a combination of high grass pollen counts and likely strong winds and thunderstorm activity over East Gippsland.
A severe thunderstorm warning is in place for the state’s north-east across into the afternoon on Sunday, as damaging wind moves across Wodonga, Corryong, Bright, Falls Creek, Mount Hotham and Omeo.
While Melbourne is expected to reach a top of 19 degrees on Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology’s senior forecaster Michael Efron said the city would feel much colder due to the breezy conditions.
“It’s going to feel a lot colder as we get into this afternoon as those winds pick up,” he said. “It will be quite a shock to the system, compared to the conditions that we’ve seen over the last week with those temperatures pushing into the low 30s.”
Across the first half the week, Melbourne temperatures will be three to six degrees below average for this time of year, with a high of 16 degrees on Monday as rainfall eases, and a high of 17 degrees on Tuesday.
The cold front crossing the state will also bring minor snowfall across the Alpine region on Monday and Tuesday.
“There will be some flurries, especially at resorts like Mount Baw Baw, with all this cold air pushing through, and even the risk of some small hail along the coast overnight tonight and into the early hours of Monday,” Efron said on Sunday.
“These cold conditions are quite a typical weather system for spring – it’s when we do tend to see the largest swings between hot and cold weather for Victoria.
“Those really dramatic shifts in conditions are driven by the interior of the continent really heating up with the more intense sunlight at this time of year, whereas the oceans to our south are still quite cold.”
People with asthma and spring hayfever in East Gippsland are being warned of an increased risk of developing asthma symptoms if large amounts of pollen are whipped into the air on Sunday.
Acting chief health officer Dr Clare Looker said people in the region needed to be prepared while the high-risk forecast was in place across Sunday. Those who had never had asthma could also experience shortness of breath and wheezing, she said.
“Asthma can become serious very quickly, so make sure you have your reliever medication with you and call Triple Zero if someone is struggling to breathe or their asthma is not improving,” Looker said.
“The safest place to be during the strong wind gusts before and during a thunderstorm is indoors, with windows and doors closed.”
Temperatures are likely to bounce back by late next week, with a forecast top of 25 on Saturday in Melbourne. Reasonable spring weather is expected for the Melbourne Cup.
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