The Bureau of Meteorology says there is about a 40 per cent chance of a cyclone developing in the southwest of the Gulf of Carpentaria by Friday, with the agency expecting it to cross the coast over Borroloola on the weekend, with heavy rain to also fall through the centre of the Northern Territory.

BOM spokeswoman Shenagh Gamble told a press conference on Wednesday the developing tropical low was embedded in a monsoon trough in the west of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and because of the meteorological conditions, a cyclone watch was to be issued that would extend from Port Roper in the Northern Territory around to the Queensland border.

That cyclone watch was issued around 5.30pm.

She said the tropical low was located around Groote Eylandt, expected to stay over water in the southwest part of the gulf over the next 48 hours, with fairly widespread strong wind gusts. But it was expected to cross the coast on the weekend, with the tropical cyclone forecast map showing the centre of it would travel over Borroloola.

The map shows it will cross over Elliott, Kalkarindji and Lajamanu, before crossing into northern Western Australia.

It is forecast to move over a section of the Stuart Highway below Daly Waters Hi-Way Inn, which has been reduced to dirt and caused food deliveries to Darwin to be stopped in January.

“We do expect with the favourable conditions in the Gulf of Carpentaria the system to develop into a tropical cyclone. So, later today, we are planning to issue a cyclone watch for that system in the gulf area,” she said.

“Coastal communities in the Northern Territory within that watch area would expect to see damaging wind gusts developing from Friday night.

“It is important to note as well, that some damaging winds would develop around the area of the tropical low ahead of its development into a cyclone.

“With the movement of the tropical low over the next few days, we expect it to be fairly slow moving in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and over the weekend it is expected to hit back west again into the Northern Territory where it will already be a tropical cyclone.

“It will decrease in intensity rather quickly, and then also move quite quickly across the Northern Territory, sort of around those central districts of the NT.”

Ms Gamble said there was also a current marine wind warning for the north coast of the Northern Territory and all of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

A flood watch for the the northwest gulf coastal rivers was also in place, which was for both the rainfall that has fallen over the previous few days and the forecast over the coming days.