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

The severe system intensified to category 3 on Thursday morning and was forecast to upgrade to category 4 on Thursday night or Friday morning.

BoM Queensland weather services manager Richard Wardle said heavy rain, flash flooding, very destructive winds and abnormally high tides were on the cards.

"Severe Tropical Cyclone Owen is expected to turn and move towards the eastern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and make landfall," he said.

"After that, we expect the system to weaken and move towards the eastern coast of Queensland and track towards the south-east over the coming days.

"I wouldn’t say it’s going to be drought-breaking, it will bring some relief but we’re expecting the system to be steered by quite a strong upper trough, which will make the system quite quickly.

"So it will be a lot of rainfall in a very short period of time, so really, it’s more flash flooding than those nice soaking rains."

Mr Wardle said daily rainfall totals of 200 millimetres were expected with potential 400-millimetre falls possible and catchments from Cairns to Fraser Island could see flooding.

A category 4 system can tear roofs off homes, blow away caravans, create dangerous airborne debris and widespread power loss, according to the bureau.

"Very destructive winds with gusts to 205 kilometres per hour are likely right near the centre," BoM warned.

"Heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding, is likely to develop about the islands and coastal areas of the western and southern Gulf of Carpentaria during Thursday.

"From Port McArthur to Karumba, a storm tide may develop and tides may rise significantly above the normal high tide, with damaging waves and minor flooding.

"Tides will be higher than normal and large waves may produce minor flooding between Port Roper and Alyangula."

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster James Taylor told ABC radio Cyclone Owen could do what Cyclone Oswald did in 2013, and track south along Queensland's east coast, bringing driving rain.

Extra swift-water rescue teams, SES personnel, senior police and emergency coordinators have been sent to isolated communities in the cyclone's path in the far north and gulf country.

Police have also warned anyone travelling for festive holiday getaways between Cairns and Brisbane, to have a cyclone plan and let others know where they were heading.

Vulnerable patients on dialysis or with serious medical conditions have also been moved to different hospitals as a safety precaution.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said emergency services were particularly concerned about Mackay Eungella Road and the potential for landslides in the area.

"We’ve had some information given to us in terms of risk management in terms of the impact of the rain event on areas that have been scarred by these bushfires and, in particular, we mean the road from Mackay to Eungella," she said.

"So we will be speaking with the community there and making sure the local disaster management group meeting in Mackay keeps residents informed because once you have bushfires through an area with large amounts of rain, there is then the potential for landslides."

Further south, separate upper and surface troughs were forecast to combine and produce more severe weather in south-east Queensland at the weekend.

Meteorologist Nicholas Shera could not say whether the tail-end of Tropical Cyclone Owen would reach the south-east but it was going to be a wet weekend regardless.

Council staff on Mornington Island, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, were being evacuated and residents were also considering whether to flee or batten down the hatches.

Mornington Island Council chief executive Frank Mills said "persistent" requests to state and federal governments for a cyclone shelter to be installed on the island had been unanswered.

- with AAP