The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a warning that a tropical cyclone could hit northern Western Australia tonight.

At the moment, the storm is classified as a tropical low and is heading east at a speed of approximately 7km/h towards the northwest Kimberley coast, located between Mitchell Plateau and Beagle Bay.

The slow-moving storm is forecast to reach tropical cyclone intensity shortly before making landfall on Friday night or Saturday morning.

It was last tracked 270km north-west of Kuri Bay and 405 kilometres north-north-west of Derby at 5:42am this morning.

Sustained winds near the centre were last recorded at about 65km/h, with wind gusts of up to 95km/h.

Predictions indicate that the storm will make landfall north of Derby, specifically between Kuri Bay and Cape Leveque, and will bring along destructive wind gusts reaching up to 100km/h in coastal regions.

Furthermore, there is a forecast for heavy precipitation that may result in sudden flooding in certain areas of the northern and western Kimberley region. This adverse weather is expected to commence on Friday and persist over the weekend.

The cyclone is expected to weaken as it travels over land on Saturday and Sunday, the Bureau reported at 2am (local time) this morning.

Weather warnings are currently in effect from Mitchell Plateau to Beagle Bay including Derby.