After a warm and muggy night, Melbourne Cup Day 2012 started on a damp note. Showers reached the race course just before the first race and it will continue to be a wet affair until the showers clear around 3pm. Thunderstorms are also a risk during the morning, however if they hit Flemington they should be brief with only a few lightning strikes. The night stayed warmer than 23 degrees all night up to 7:30am when a cool change dropped temperatures to 20 degrees, which is still the warmest Cup morning in at least a decade. Total rainfall amounts are expected to be in the region of 2-5mm today. If more than 2mm falls it will be the wettest Melbourne Cup day in the past 10 years. With light southerly winds of around 15-20km/h you won't need to hold onto your hats and dresses. A few sunny breaks should also help the temperature reach into the mid-twenties around the middle of the day. Keep an eye on the showers with the radar http://www.weatherzone.com.au/radar/vic/melbourne/64km