The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a cyclone outlook for the northern region, including the Gulf of Carpentaria, as a weak tropical low intensifies in the northeastern Arafura Sea, about 500 kilometres north of Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory.

The low is expected to move west before changing direction and begin moving towards the southeast during Thursday, according to the weather bureau.

There is a “high” chance the tropical low will develop into a tropical cyclone by Friday, BOM NT has advised.

“The system is likely to affect the northeastern Top End later this week,” a BOM NT statement read.

Bureau of Meteorology Forecaster Peter Markworth said the northeastern Top End coast was at the most risk — putting Nhulunbuy right in the firing line.

“The conditions are pretty favourable at the moment, so we expect it to turn into a tropical cyclone on either Thursday or Friday,” Mr Markworth told the NT News.

“We’ll keep reassessing, but at this stage we could be issuing a watch as early as Wednesday.”

While most Territory homes are now built to withstand up to a category 5 cyclone, it would be a kick to the guts while already down for Darwin and other Top End towns, should another storm strike this week.

The NT was battered by Cyclone Marcus — a category two storm that brought flooding, road closures and winds in excess of 130km/h — over the weekend. Witnesses posted videos on social media showing tin roods being ripped off homes and uprooted trees rolling down streets. At its peak, 30,000 homes were without power and schools and other government services were forced to remain closed on Monday.

“As you can imagine the tropical cyclone has left behind a path of destruction in the greater Darwin region,” Senator Nigel Scullion told federal parliament on Monday.

Power had been restored to 11,000 customers but 18,000 remained without electricity, including most of the region’s schools, the NT senator said. “It is a very difficult time. I urge all Territorians to be patient and calm as authorities co-ordinate the clean-up effort and I encourage everyone to give each other a hand,” he said.

According to the Insurance Council of Australia, claims across Darwin have climbed to more than 1800 as a result of damage caused by Cyclone Marcus.

Most claims are for minor issues such as broken windows or damage to vehicles from debris.

“Insurers have had assessment teams in Darwin since the weekend, assessing claims and delivering assistance to their customers,” council chief executive Rob Whelan said.

The growing damage bill comes as the Northern Territory government announced financial assistance for locals on Monday.

Around 6000 households still without power will be eligible to receive an immediate cash payment of $250 and possibly further funding for damage to their homes and to replace household contents.

“We have now opened five relief centres for residents to apply for immediate payments if they are still without power,” Chief Minister Michael Gunner said.

Financial assistance will be provided through jointly-funded Commonwealth-State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.

Mr Gunner said further assistance would be considered once damage assessments and cost estimates become available in coming days.

— With AAP

megan.palin@news.com.au | @Megan_Palin