Parts of the state are bracing for possible snow as Victorians shiver through one of the coldest Melbourne Cup days on record, according to the weather bureau.

An expected top of 14 degrees looked optimistic at Flemington on Tuesday, where the temperature at 12.30pm was recorded as 9.5 degrees, with a “feels like” temperature of just 2.5 as a strong cold front brought wintry weather back to Melbourne.

There was a chance of small hail as showers moved in from the west, with up to 5 millimetres expected to fall, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said.

“It’s going to be a wet lunch and a wet track,” Narramore said on Tuesday for those at Flemington.

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While cold weather in November was not unusual, the strength of the front was, he said.

It’s forecast to be the coldest race day since 1995 when temperatures at Flemington hit a top of just 13.6 degrees, while in 2017 the top was 15.8 degrees, according to the bureau.

“[It] goes to show Victoria can have winter weather any time of the year,” the forecaster said.

The higher parts of the state, such as Trentham, Mount Macedon and the Yarra Ranges faced the real possibility of snow, he said.