Cattle farmers, croppers and weekend gardeners have woken to the welcome pitter-patter of rain on their roofs on Thursday morning after record downpours drenched Victorian towns dealing with their driest start to a year on record.

Melbourne missed the heaviest of the rains – and a severe thunderstorm warning issued on Thursday morning was later cancelled – but many suburbs still received between five and 15mm, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Umbrellas will be the accessory of choice across the state on Thursday. Credit:Justin McManus

Senior forecaster Rod Dickson said the city could expect patchy showers throughout the morning, with the most intense falls hitting the outer south-east at places such as Cranbourne and Pakenham.

Western Victoria copped the brunt of the overnight rain, which dumped 69mm on Stawell – including 48mm in just one hour – in the town's highest one-day total on record.