Day-by-day weather forecast for Cheltenham Festival according to the Met Office

The weather is looking cloudy for most of the festival but there could be some outbursts of sunshine according to the Met Office Credit: PA images

It's one of the highlights of the UK's racing calendar with thousands of racegoers expected to descend on Cheltenham Racecourse later this month.

The racing event is run by The Jockey Club and is Britain’s third biggest sporting event in terms of attendance.

In 2022, it attracted a record total of 280,627 people across four days. The event's capacity will be capped at 68,500 each day and takes place from 14 to 17 March.

Although organisers recently announced they would be scrapping the long-standing traditional formal dress code, many will already be planning what to wear for the event and will be keen to make sure their attire is weather appropriate.

Here is a detailed forecast issued by the Met Office for Cheltenham Racecourse.

Day One - Tuesday 14 March

The first day of Cheltenham Festival is set to see the best of the weather in terms of sunshine. Champion Day will be mostly sunny according to meteorologists, with cloudier conditions settling in the later parts of the afternoon. It certainly will not feel warm though with lows of minus 1 degrees overnight and a moderate breeze making things feel chillier.

Day Two - Wednesday 15 March

On Festival Wednesday it will be cloudy in the morning with rainier conditions forecast in the afternoon. Once again it will be quite cold with highs of 8 degrees during the day. This will hopefully be a vast improvement on the torrential rain that racegoers had to contend with on the second day of the festival last year.

Day Three - Thursday 16 March

Yet more cloud and rain is forecast on St Patrick's Thursday but it will feel warmer. Meteorologists are predicting that temperatures will rise to highs of 12 degrees. However, the winds will be intensifying with gusts of 34mph.

Day Four - Friday 17 March

For the final day of the festival, Gold Cup Day, the weather is likely to be changeable with cloudy conditions in the morning giving way to a mixture of sunny spells and showers. The winds will drop a little but will not be unsubstantial. This will be the warmest of the four day festival with highs of 14 degrees.