Six turtle hunters missing off NT coast

Wild weather is hampering the search for six turtle hunters who are missing off the coast of the Northern Territory.

Four adults and two teenagers from Galiwinku, a remote island community in Arnhem Land, set off in a small dinghy around midday on Monday.

Family members alerted police when the group failed to return home.

NT police were set to launch an air search at first light on Tuesday but have been unable to use a plane due to rough conditions in the Arafura Sea.

Around 130mm of rain has fallen in the region in the past day as the Top End gets battered by monsoonal wet season storms.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicts a 20 to 50 per cent chance of a tropical cyclone hitting the northern region on Thursday.