The Melbourne Cup at Flemington is set to present challenging conditions for both jockeys and bettors today.

In recent days, much of Australia has been lashed by severe weather, and although Melbourne has avoided the brunt, the forecast predicts a chilly and overcast day for the iconic race that halts the nation.

The mercury is unlikely to rise above 17 degrees, and several weather elements may complicate the event for everyone at Flemington.

“The day will start off quite cool with a maximum temperature of 17 degrees. However, the presence of a breeze may bring a wind chill, making it feel even colder,” explained meteorologist Angus Hines.

“Yesterday was particularly wet, and we’ve experienced some overnight rain. Showers are expected to be intermittent throughout the day,” he added.

Hines insisted it wasn’t all bad news on the weather front, saying some blue skies could appear over Melbourne and Flemington in the late morning and early afternoon, which could dry up the track slightly.

However, another series of showers could sweep across the city later in the day.

He hopes it will be dry for the race itself at 3pm AEDT, but he said there would most likely be rain soon after.

Hines said a cold front is leaving the city, which brought up to 35mm of rain yesterday, but some of its effects are still lingering today.

“Now that cold front has departed in the past 24 hours, but as it’s left in behind it, we’ve seen this chilly wind flow up from the south west, which is just dragging lots of showers from the Southern Ocean up and across Victoria,” he said.

“That’s what’s continuing to pepper us with shower activity throughout cup day.”