Cyclone watch declared in Northern Territory and Queensland

A cyclone watch has been declared for the Northern Territory and Queensland.

The warning targets communities in Arnhem Land and Cape York Peninsula in Northern Territory and Badu Island to Cape Keerweer in Queensland.

The Bureau of Meteorology earlier reported a “moderate” chance a tropical low in the Gulf of Carpentaria developing into a cyclone in a matter of days.

A spokeswoman from the organisation's Darwin bureau said earlier today there is “significant uncertainty” over the storm system’s movements.

"There is still large uncertainty about the movement, and in fact the Gulf area is notorious for erratic weather at this time of year," she said.

"They're [cyclones] very hard to predict," the spokeswoman said.

The chances of a cyclone forming today were ranked as low (5-20%) with the risk increased to moderate (20-50%) for tomorrow and Wednesday.

Gales were not expected in the next 24 hours, but could develop tomorrow evening, according to the warning.

Wind gusts moving up to 85 kilometres/hour are expected.