Pub manager Alex Furulis said it was hard to imagine a tropical cyclone was hurtling towards the remote community in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The Bureau of Meteorology expected Owen to cross the far north Queensland coast, between Karumba to Pormpuraaw, on Friday.

“It is a pretty normal day, but all cyclones are like that. You just have to wait and see,” Ms Furulis said.

“We will start sandbagging tomorrow morning if we have to.”

Severe Tropical Cyclone Owen strengthened to a category 3 on Thursday and was expected to become category 4, with wind gusts in excess of 220km/h, during Friday.

BoM meteorologist Adam Morgan said Owen had intensified "rapidly" during Thursday.

Owen was predicted to weaken to a category 1 as it crossed the state on Saturday.

“Even with Owen as a tropical low, we are looking at this as being a potentially high-impact event for eastern Queensland on the weekend, with heavy rain, locally damaging to destructive winds, severe thunderstorms and abnormally high tides,” Dr Morgan said.

Dr Morgan said there were still a “number of scenarios on the cards” for Owen’s movements during the weekend.

It should remain over land close to the coast but there is a chance it will move offshore into the Coral Sea. If this were to occur, Owen may redevelop yet again into a tropical cyclone.

Dr Morgan said Owen was a smaller but fast-moving cyclone, so rain would likely be intense but brief rather than steady and soaking.

The Queensland government will supply free canned water to anyone whose water supply is cut off during natural disasters.