Tropical Cyclone Errol intensifies to category four and charges towards the Kimberley coast of WA

Tropical Cyclone Errol has intensified to a category four off Australia’s coast, but it is expected to weaken before it makes landfall.

It is currently whipping up winds moving at 185km/h and heading towards the Kimberley coast of northwest of WA.

The cyclone is heading straight for Cockatoo Island, with residents between Broome and Kuri Bay falling within the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) “watch zone”.

Errol had been moving south off the coast, but turned east in the early hours of Thursday when it was mapped about 500km northwest of Broome.

But the strength of the cyclone is set to weaken over the course of the day, forecast to fall to a category two by Friday.

Errol is set to hit land on Saturday, but by then it should have weakened even further, to a category one.

By the afternoon on Saturday it will have be downgraded out of cyclone-status, and the weather system will be back to a tropical low.

But damaging winds could become destructive if the cyclone moves faster than forecast, BoM said.

Cockatoo Island and Beagle Bay residents have been warned they will cop the brunt of that severe weather, if so.

Heavy rain is also expected within that wider watch zone, and high tides are also forecast.

Australia’s northwest coast is familiar with cyclones, as is the northeast coast which is still repairing from the carnage of ex-Tropical Cyclones Alfred and Dianne. The flooded areas in the east will get some reprieve with a dry Easter forecast.

Rain in the west is likely to meet up with weather systems further south, though, spreading rain across the southwest.

Some of that may move into southeastern Australia, with a cold change also set to arrive during the Easter break.