Melbourne shivered through its coldest February day in more than a decade on Sunday, the grey skies and drizzle turning a summer's day into one more like the dead of winter.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Keris Arndt said temperatures reached a maximum of 17.3 degrees at 5.21pm, making it the coldest February day since 2005.

He attributed the brisk conditions to a "quite vigorous" low pressure system that's moved up from the southern ocean, bringing a lot of cold air with it.

Melburnians woke up to an overnight low of just 11.7 degrees at 7am and temperatures are expected to plunge to a minimum of 10 degrees on Tuesday.

There were several showers throughout the suburbs on Sunday and plenty of cloud cover too.

Maybe Sunday's record shouldn't have been a surprise in a summer that hasn't seen a Melbourne day above 40 degrees so far.

But snow in February? Looks like it happened in the Victorian alps.

Mr Arndt said the frosty forecast could mean more snow overnight and on Monday morning in the alps - but just a light dusting.

The week ahead will have a couple of cool days for Melbourne, but don't put away your hat and sunscreen just yet.

The summer will return on Wednesday with sunny skies and a forecast top of 32 degrees.