Slow-moving Debbie eye crosses coast

The eye of Cyclone Debbie has made landfall, with residents warned to stay inside.

The eye of category four Cyclone Debbie is about to hit the Whitsunday Islands, forecasters say. (AAP)

The calm eye of the powerful but slow moving Cyclone Debbie has crossed the Queensland coast just north of Airlie Beach.

Debbie made landfall at around 12.30pm (AEST) travelling at a speed of about 10km/h.

Residents have been warned to stay indoors as the eye passes, with destructive winds from the category 4 system to again lash the region when the tail end of the storm moves across the coast.

The storm is expected to track in a southwesterly direction, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting it will weaken to a category three storm at 6pm.

It is expected to further weaken to a tropical low by midday on Wednesday when it swings back around to the southeast.

The low pressure system is expected to bring heavy rain to the state's southeast later in the week.