Tropical cyclone Laurence continues to intensify with destructive gusts reaching 260km/h as it moves closer to Western Australia’s Kimberley coast.

With Laurence classified a category four cyclone, the Bureau of Meteorology issued an update on Wednesday about 0600 (WST) warning people in remote coastal communities to be alert as it moves towards the coast.

A statement by the bureau says Laurence is about 300km north of Derby, near Kuri Bay, where residents have been urged to take shelter.

Gales with gusts to 100km/h are expected to extend further southwest along the coast, reaching Cockatoo and Koolan islands, and could cross the coast on Wednesday evening.

Residents in Derby and Beagle Bay have been warned to bunker down as destructive winds lash the coast as the cyclone moves southwest.

They have also been told to expect heavy rainfall, with daily totals of up to 100mm expected in some areas near the coast.

Cyclone Warning Centre duty forecaster Brad Santos told the ABC Laurence was a small but intense cyclone. It was expected to become less severe as it neared the coast.

Laurence, the first cyclone of the season off WA, formed in the Timor Sea on Sunday and has intensified from a category one cyclone to a category three.