Tropical Cyclone Blake, the first for the Australian cyclone season, has formed off Western Australia's West Kimberley coast.

Key points: Cyclone Blake is expected to bring rain to parts of WA, but there is also the risk of damaging winds

Cyclone Blake is expected to bring rain to parts of WA, but there is also the risk of damaging winds The system may help to ease conditions in fire-affected areas like Norseman, but won't impact fire zones on the east coast

The system may help to ease conditions in fire-affected areas like Norseman, but won't impact fire zones on the east coast Farmers in WA have welcomed the news, and say they hope the storm will give dry areas "a really good drink"

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) expects the system to reach Category 2 intensity, and make landfall near Wallal Downs along the Eighty Mile Beach late on Tuesday or early Wednesday.

BOM duty forecaster Steph Bond said Cyclone Blake had developed overnight.

"As that system moves closer to the coast [on Monday] we will see winds start increasing and we may expect gales to develop [around] Kuri Bay and Wallal Downs," Ms Bond said.

"They could extend down to De Grey by early Tuesday.

"This system will move parallel to the coastline just offshore and may make landfall around Tuesday evening, most likely around the Wallal Downs area, at this stage, as a Category 2 system

As the system moved closer to the coast, local residents in Broome headed to the shops to stock up on supplies, while authorities prepared to close roads, including the Great Northern Highway.

An evacuation centre has been set up at the Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre to accommodate travellers or people displaced by the wild weather.

Tropical Cyclone Blake is currently a Category 1 system off the West Kimberley Coast, north west of Broome, but will strengthen to a Category 2. ( Supplied: Bureau of Meteorology )

Welcome relief for pastoralists

After one of the driest periods in decades, pastoralists in northern WA are hopeful Cyclone Blake will turn their fortunes around.

"We don't really know what to expect, but we just hope there's rain in it," said Annabelle Coppin from Yarrie Station, near Marble Bar.

"It gives everyone a really good drink across Australia, really — that's what we want, we want rain."

Ms Coppin said the season up until now had been mixed.

"We've been a lot better than a lot of people, but we've still had about half our average [rainfall]," she said.

"But compared to a lot of people, that's actually pretty good.

"We're looking for rain now, otherwise we have to make drastic moves and we don't want to have to do that.

"The dream is that it hits the coast as a tropical low and just gives everyone a good drink."

Tropical Cyclone Blake has brought a much needed relief after hot and dry conditions across northern WA. ( ABC News: Erin Parke )

But along with much needed rainfall, cyclones bring damaging winds and rainfall.

In March 2019, Michael Thompson from Mundabullangana Station, near Port Hedland, lost about 3,000 head of cattle during Tropical Cyclone Veronica.

"You'll never come back from a setback like that," Mr Thompson said.

"But we could have been in a worse position with losing cattle through starvation and struggling."

Cyclone Blake is expected to be a category two system when it crosses the coast. ( ABC Kimberley: Tom Forrest )

No help for burning east

Cyclone Blake is expected to track south through the Pilbara and then take a south easterly path over the Goldfields and the interior.

Ms Bond said it may bring moderate to heavy rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday as it tracks south.

"We may even see some rainfall move over the Goldfields and over those fire sites down through that area near Norseman."

But Ms Bond said it was unlikely to bring much needed relief to the fire fronts in the east of Australia.

"At this stage, by the time it reaches central Australia, this system does weaken out," she said.

"So we may not see this rainfall reach the eastern states at this stage."

Cyclone Blake has brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to the town of Broome. ( ABC Kimberley: Erin Parke )

Major roads closed

Department of Fire and Emergency Services' operations area manager, Glenn Hall, said it was important for the public to be mindful of where the cyclone was tracking.

"The circumstances may change rapidly, and if a new community alert is issued, people need to be prepared for that likelihood," he said.

"You need to make sure that you've got adequate supplies over the next couple of days just in case there is a likelihood that shops remain closed."

The Great Northern Highway will be closed between the Roebuck Roadhouse and the Marble Bar Road intersection until the cyclone risk has passed.

Flooding has also closed the Broome-Cape Leveque road, linking remote communities on the Dampier Peninsula to Broome.