Monday 5pm - Ex-TC Grant downgraded to a Tropical Low and a severe weather warning issued for damaging winds and heavy rainfall for the Darwin-Daly and Arnheim Districts.

Monday 5pm - Ex-TC Grant downgraded to a Tropical Low and a severe weather warning issued for damaging winds and heavy rainfall for the Darwin-Daly and Arnheim Districts.

Monday 2pm - Ex-TC Grant downgraded to Tropical Low and cyclone watches/warnings cancelled. The BOM says tides will be higher than normal between Cape Don and Goulburn Island today and large waves may produce minor flooding of low lying coastal areas. Residents are advised to stay listening to ABC Darwin for further weather updates. Heavy rain is expected to cause localised flooding and significant stream rises over the northern Darwin-Daly, Arnhem and Roper-McArthur Districts.

Monday 11:00am - The BOM says TC Grant is continuing to weaken.

Monday 9:30am - The BOM says TC Grant is 50 kilometres west southwest of Oenpelli and 185 kilometres east of Darwin moving south at 8 kilometres per hour.

Monday 6:30am - The BOM says TC Grant is now Category 1, and estimated to be 80 kilometres west of Oenpelli and 155 kilometres east of Darwin and is moving south southwest at 10 kilometres per hour.

Monday 04:54am - The latest BOM warning has coastal areas from Cape Hotham to Maningrida, including Oenpelli, Jabiru and Melville Island east of Snake Bay all under cyclone warning, while the warnings for Dundee Beach to Cape Hotham including Darwin and the Tiwi Islands west of Snake Bay, Maningrida to Milingimbi have been cancelled. Tropical Cyclone Grant is located over the southeastern Van Diemen Gulf, with a weakening system expected to cross the coast east of Point Stuart later this morning around dawn.

Monday 02:28am - The BOM has advised that a cyclone warning continues for coastal areas from Darwin to Milingimbi, the Tiwi Islands and inland to Jabiru and Oenpelli, while the cyclone warning from Dundee Beach to Darwin has been cancelled. Tropical Cyclone Grant crossed the Cobourg Peninsula and is now located over the far eastern Van Diemen Gulf. The cyclone is expected to continue moving south, crossing the coast east of Point Stuart later during Monday and is then expected to take a more southeasterly track and weaken throughout the day.

Sunday 11pm - The BOM says the monsoon coming across the equator is now pushing the system to the south, which will eventually head out to the south east. The system is currently crossing the Cobourg Peninsula. The BOM is expecting it to be close to the mainland coast around sunrise on Boxing Day, east of Point Stuart, to continue inland and reach Jabiru late on Boxing Day.

Sunday 7pm - The Bureau of Meteorology says the Cobourg Peninsula can expect gales with gusts to 110km per hour this evening, with an excess of that already being seen. The system remains slow moving in a south-south easterly track, currently moving at 5km per hour. It is expected to make landfall on the Cobourg Peninsula in the next few hours, early on Boxing Day, to then re-emerge into the western Van Diemen Gulf early on Monday morning and may extend inland to Oenpelli and Jabiru later on in the day. Destructive winds with gusts to 130 kilometres per hour are currently being experienced over the Cobourg Peninsula, including Croker Island.

Sunday 8am - Weather Bureau says the cyclone continues to be slow moving, but is gathering pace and is starting to move south. Consistent heavy rain is falling along the north coast of the top end. Darwin can expect rain and storms from the mid-morning.

8pm Saturday - NT Chief Minister Paul Henderson is advising Darwin residents to be where they need to be by 6:00pm Sunday. But not move to public shelters until instructed. Police say Darwin residents should have completed their cyclone preparations.

Saturday 4:00pm - Cyclone warning still current - Darwin and areas east of Darwin has now been included in the Cyclone WARNING, along with the area between Dundee Beach to Milingimbi.Saturday - Darwin and areas east of Darwin have been upgraded to a Cyclone WARNING.

HEAVY RAIN is is expected to cause localised flooding and significant stream rises over the northern Darwin-Daly, Arnhem and northern Roper-McArthur districts.

The Territory Controller advises residents from Snake Bay to Croker Island, including Cape Don, that now is the time to make final preparations to your home shelter or identify which public emergency shelter to use.

Dr Andrew Tupper from the BOM says: "The reason we're moving into Cyclone Warning for the area east of Darwin and including Darwin is that as the cyclone approaches the coast on Boxing Day, gale force winds are expected to develop around the coast ahead of that."

"It's possible that in the Darwin area there will be gales from the edge of the system develop as early as Christmas night, from about 6pm onwards."