Wet Christmas forecast across Queensland

Rain may put a dampener on coastal Christmas plans, but for much of Queensland's west it is a welcome sight.

A widespread band of cloud stretching across the state is bringing rain to large areas, with showers already falling in many regions.

"It's pretty much raining in a lot of places," senior meteorologist Baden Gilbert said.

The north-west has recorded rainfall totals of up to 95 millimetres in the past 24 hours. A flood watch is now in place as a monsoon trough continues to drive showers and thunderstorms across the region for the rest of the week.

Several rivers are expected to rise, with flooding likely to cause road closures and isolate some communities.

"We're expecting persistent rainfall over multiple days across large parts of the north-west," Mr Gilbert said.

Storms and heat in the south-east

In the south-east, severe thunderstorms are forecast for areas including Wide Bay Burnett, Capricornia, the Central Highlands, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned heavy downpours may lead to flash flooding.

Thunderstorms are also possible in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and Brisbane.

On Christmas Day, showers and storms are expected to continue from the Sunshine Coast northwards, with the potential for storm activity along the south-east coast as well.

High humidity is being drawn across the state by the monsoon trough, while a heatwave warning remains current for the south-east coast. Although conditions are easing across the Darling Downs, the warning persists around Gympie and Kingaroy.

Relief is expected on Boxing Day, but for now Queenslanders can expect a hot, humid and wet Christmas Day across much of the state.

Meanwhile, those in parts of the far west - including Thargomindah, St George, Cunnamulla and the western Downs - are likely to enjoy sunnier conditions.