Communities along the Gulf of Carpentaria coastline are being warned to prepare for severe rain and damaging wind, with a tropical low expected to form in the area tomorrow and a low chance of a tropical cyclone on Sunday.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the low will likely form in the south of the Gulf before moving towards the Northern Territory coast over the next few days.
"As the low moves ashore, Groote Eylandt and the Carpentaria coastline communities are likely to see the bulk of the rain," meteorologist Chris Kent said.
"We are expecting the low to be quite close to the coast on Sunday.
The weather system is expected to make landfall somewhere between the Queensland border, and the coastline near the remote NT community of Ngukurr.
BOM has issued a severe weather warning for torrential rain in nearby parts of the Arnhem and Carpentaria districts.
"There's also a marine wind warning out for the Arafura coast, the Gove Peninsula coast and extending to the Roper Groote coast on Saturday.
"Winds are expected to be up to 30 knots so it's probably not a good idea to be out on the water."
Emergency services are urging people on Groote Eylandt and in communities around Borroloola and Robinson River to get ready.
"There's an expectation that there's going to be some strong stream rises around the area and as a result of that it's likely that roads are going to be cut and communities will become isolated," NT Emergency Service regional manager Mark Cunnington said.
The low isn't expected to develop into a cyclone if it makes landfall on Sunday, but the weather bureau says the longer the system remains over water, the higher the chance one could form.
The tropical low comes as monsoonal rain continues to fall across the Top End, with places from Nhulunbuy to Darwin already recording higher rainfall totals than they did throughout the entire previous wet season.
"The recent rain we've had around the Top End has been the result of monsoonal activity. This has been absent from the Top End largely over the couple of wet seasons, so it's very good to see it return," Mr Kent said.
