As a heatwave sweeps across southwest Queensland, heavy rain has prompted flood warnings in the north of the state and looks set to persist until the New Year.

December 26, 2018

North Queensland is set for a soggy start to 2019 but in the southern half of the sunshine state, the temperature is rising as a heatwave sets in.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms that waterlogged much of the state’s north over the Christmas break are likely to increase in coming days.

It’s prompted a flood watch to be issued for the far north Queensland coast from Rollingstone, just north of Townsville, to Cooktown, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Falls of up to 218mm have been recorded near Cairns and up to 180mm near Cooktown over the past 24 hours, meteorologist Adipi Sharan told AAP on Wednesday.

The big wet is likely to be backed ahead of New Year’s Eve by a monsoon trough developing in the Gulf of Carpenteria, Ms Sharan said.

It will mostly affect the Peninsula district, however, the entire Queensland tropics will be wet right into the New Year, she said.

In the south of the state, a low-intensity heatwave is bringing temperatures in the 40s to many inland centres.

It’s certainly warming up in the far west and it’s set to creep into the southeast interior by New Year, Ms Sharan said.

Birdsville is forecast to peak at 42C on Wednesday, and the high temperatures will carry through until New Year’s Day when 44C is expected.

The heatwave conditions are forecast to sweep across all states and territories over the next few days, with NSW and South Australia bearing the brunt.

Coastal areas of southeast Queensland will remain dry and comfortable for the next week, with temperatures about 30C forecast for most areas.