Tropical Cyclone Heidi has been upgraded to a category two and is expected to reach the Pilbara coast of Western Australia late on Wednesday night (WST).
A yellow alert has been issued for people between Pardoo and Whim Creek, including Port Hedland and South Hedland, and residents have been warned to get ready to take shelter.
A blue alert remains in place for surrounding areas, including Roebourne, Port Sampson, Karratha and Dampier, and residents have been warned to prepare food and a first aid kit.
The weather bureau says Tropical Cyclone Heidi is estimated to be 140km north northeast of Port Hedland and moving southwest at 15km/h towards the coast. Destructive winds with gusts up to 155km/h are possible overnight between Whim Creek and Pardoo, including Port Hedland, the bureau says.
Gales with gusts to 100km/h may also extend west to Dampier overnight and in the adjacent parts of the central Pilbara.
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The Port Hedland Airport has been closed and some flights have been cancelled.
Perth Airport recommends passengers check with their airline for the most current information on flights to and from the area.
Port Hedland Port Authority spokesman Steed Farrell told AAP the port had activated its cyclone contingency plan on Tuesday afternoon in preparation for the wild weather.
"We cleared inbound traffic into the port and cleared the port of vessels that needed to get out," he said.
Mr Farrell said the port would wait for word from the weather bureau before resuming operations.
The weather bureau says very heavy rainfall is expected overnight in the river catchments between Port Hedland and Karratha. Up to 250mm of rain is possible across central and eastern Pilbara over the next few days, with isolated heavier falls near the coast, the bureau says.
Residents in and near Port Hedland and east to Wallal have been warned of the potential of a dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre crosses the coast overnight.
Tides are likely to rise above the normal high-tide mark, with very rough seas and flooding of low-lying coastal areas, the weather bureau says.
Tides elsewhere in the Pilbara should also be higher than normal.
Tropical Cyclone Heidi is the second cyclone of the season for the WA region but the first to affect the mainland.
It is the first to affect Port Hedland since the devastating cyclone George in 2007.
