FORECASTERS have warned spectators of the final flagship events at the Commonwealth Games to be prepared for bad weather with downpours expected today and tomorrow.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning - "be aware" - covering the Glasgow area for both today and much of Sunday, when heavy rain and strong winds are expected to blow in from the west.

But there is a possibility that the clouds will clear in time for the closing ceremony at Hampden Park, which takes place on Sunday evening.

The rain is likely to be persistent during tomorrow's road race event, which will see cyclists wind their way through Glasgow's east end and along city streets.

The route starts and ends in Glasgow Green, but heads west through the city centre, along Argyll Street, Buchanan Street and St Vincent Street towards Charing Cross.

It then works its way through Kelvingrove Park and on to Byres Road, before heading back along Gibson Street, Woodside Road and Park Circus.

The route re-enters the city centre and takes racers along Sauchiehall Street, West George Street, Cathedral Street and on to High Street before heading back in to the Green.

Women riders will complete the route seven times, approximately 60 miles, while the men will cycle 12 laps of the course, during their 104-mile race.

Regarding the outlook for conditions, a spokeswoman for the Met Office said: "It's going to be a little bit of a mixed bag over the weekend.

"There will be a dry start to Saturday, but as the day goes on it's going to get wetter as a weather front moves in from the west.

"This will bring showers and some persistent downpours which could be prolonged at times. The rain will last into Saturday night and through till Sunday afternoon.

"This will be accompanied by some strong gusts of winds, with around 30-35mph expected."

Kylie Minogue will perform alongside Lulu, Deacon Blue and Dougie MacLean at the finale in Scotland's national stadium, with the show starting at 9pm, less than 24 hours after the end of track and field events.

More than 2000 volunteer performers will also take part in the ceremony, and a crowd of 40,000 is expected at the event.

The open-air show will see the mantle of being the host city passed from Glasgow to Gold Coast City, Australia, where the Games will be held in 2018.

The forecaster added: "The area of the yellow alert skirts around Glasgow, so it could be that the sky will be clear for the closing ceremony at Hampden.

"It all depends on how long the rains last during the day, but there is a window for it to have cleared by the time the festivities start.

"We have our forecasters in Glasgow working with the organisers and are monitoring the situation closely.

"I'm veering towards optimism that it will stay dry when they bring the curtain down on the Games, but only time will tell."