Up to 80 council staff on Mornington Island are being evacuated from their homes that are not fit to face the wild weather predicted for the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The Bureau of Meteorology said ex-tropical cyclone Owen could redevelop into a cyclone later on Tuesday afternoon over the southern Gulf.

Mornington Island Council chief executive Frank Mills said despite "persistent" requests to state and federal governments, the remote Aboriginal community did not have a cyclone shelter.

"The reality is we are in an absurd situation. We live in one of the most cyclone-prone places in Australia and we do not have a cyclone shelter," Mr Mills said.

"How insane in that?"

The council staff will be moved off the island but residents will need to make their own choice if they want to stay or go.

Mr Mills said council was working with Rex Airlines to boost the number of flights to the island to allow residents to flee if they chose to.

He said each wet season the community braced for the threat of a cyclone and it was "only a matter of time" before the island was impacted.

The Bureau of Meterology said the weather system could be a category three cyclone by Thursday and cross the Queensland coast by Friday.