Australia's third tropical cyclone of the season is likely to develop off the north coast of Western Australia during the next 24 hours, with a coastal crossing possible in the Pilbara this weekend.

A tropical low pressure system that was located over Western Australia's Kimberley district on Wednesday morning is expected to move offshore by Wednesday night. 

Image: Visible satellite image of a tropical low on Wednesday, which is likely to become Tropical Cyclone Damien on Thursday. 

As the system moves over water it will gain strength, with forecast models suggesting that it will become Tropical Cyclone Damien by Thursday morning. Damien will be the third tropical cyclone to be named in Australian waters so far this season, after Blake and Claudia.

The official track map for this system indicates that soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Damien could reach category three intensity before approaching Western Australia's Pilbara Coast on the weekend. At this stage, the most likely area for landfall would be somewhere between Port Hedland and Onslow.

As a tropical low, this system has already caused heavy rain over parts of the Kimberley during the last few days, prompting a flood watch for the North and West Kimberley river catchments. Showers and thunderstorms will continue to affect parts of the state's north on Thursday and Friday, before more intense weather develops as the system approaches the coast from Saturday.

Image: Accumulated rain predicted between Wednesday and Sunday this week, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.

Heavy rain, destructive winds and a storm surge are all likely to occur if this system makes landfall as a severe tropical cyclone (category three or higher). Be sure to monitor the latest forecasts and warnings during the rest of this week if you live in the Pilbara or west Kimberley districts of Western Australia.