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Melbourne's warmest day since March

Anyone who has ever attended Spring Carnival racing knows that Melbourne's maximum is just as likely to be 12°C with hail as it is to be 32°C with bright sunshine in the period from mid-October to early November.

This Tuesday is one of those mid-spring days where temps will be on the upper end of the scale, with a maximum of 32°C in store for Melbourne.

That will make it Melbourne's warmest day in seven months and the first time the mercury has reached 30°C since March 18.

Temps will also top 30°C across much of Victoria, with a state high of 36°C expected at Mildura, as a relatively short-lasting tongue of warm air pushes across the state ahead of an approaching cold front.

There's not a whole lot of bite to that front. As Wednesday's synoptic chart shows, the front will barely clip southern Victoria – although it will score a direct hit on Tasmania where a little midweek snow can be expected at the highest elevations.

But winds will still swing around to a southerly aspect and push much cooler air onto the mainland, especially later in the working week.

Melbourne maximums will dip to 21°C on Wednesday as a few mostly light showers sweep through, then to a much cooler 16°C and 17°C on Thursday and Friday respectively.

Racegoers can then expect a very pleasant and mostly sunny max of 23°C for the Cox Plate at The Valley this Saturday – which for once, will be perfect weather for anyone who has forked out the big bucks to frock up.