Players and spectators in town for Day 4 of the Australian Open were greeted by thick clouds and steady rain on Wednesday morning. Fortunately, the wet weather isn’t going to stick around all day.

The animation below shows a broad rainband crossing Victoria. And southern NSW from west to east on Wednesday morning, reaching Melbourne shortly after sunrise.

The rainband is being caused by tropical moisture being drawn into southeastern Australia from the north, where it is interacting with a low pressure trough and cold front.

Rain started falling at Melbourne’s Olympic Park weather station, located near the Australian Open precinct, around 8am and by 10am, it had received 15 mm. This steady rain prompted a road weather alert for all Melbourne suburbs on Wednesday morning.

The band of rain and embedded storms will continue to move towards the east on Wednesday, likely clearing Melbourne by late morning or early afternoon. This will leave drier weather and cooler southwesterly winds in Melbourne for the remainder of Day 4 at the Australian Open.

After leaving Melbourne, the rainband will continue to move east and soak the eastern half of Vic and southern and southeast NSW.

Areas of heavy rain and embedded thunderstorms are likely to develop over northeast Vic and southern inland NSW from late morning into the afternoon. A severe weather warning has been issued for heavy and locally intense rain in these areas, where six-hourly rain rates could reach 50 to 100mm.

Melbourne will continue to see drier weather for the remainder of this week, although wind will be fresh at times on Thursday.