Tropical Cyclone Jasper intensified into a category 4 system on Friday and is now on track to impact the north Queensland coast between Cooktown and Townsville by mid-next week.
Its current course has sparked contingency plans for the bureau's Willis Island station, located about 450km off Cairns in the Coral Sea.
Four staff members are set to be evacuated, with the station now in Cyclone Jasper's sights.
"In terms of our Willis Island crew we are putting in firm plans to look at what we do with them over the coming days, with decisions to be made on them over the course of today," the bureau's Dave Grant told reporters.
A bureau spokesperson told AAP the remote station was built to withstand a category 5 cyclone but staff safety was their utmost priority.
Jasper is set to weaken over the weekend but is expected to intensify again into a severe tropical cyclone as it approaches the north Queensland coast next week.
A cyclone watch - a warning issued when impact is expected within 24 and 48 hours - could start as early as Sunday.
"There is still a considerable amount of uncertainty of how strong and where the system will track over the coming days but the bureau will keep the community up to date with the latest warnings," Mr Grant said.
Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan urged Queenslanders to be prepared and to also be mindful of warnings as the unusual cyclone approaches.
The system is the first tropical cyclone to form in Queensland waters in December in an El Nino year.
"It's unusually early for Queenslanders," Mr Ryan said of Cyclone Jasper's arrival.
Jasper was about 1200km east northeast of Cairns at 9am (AEST) on Friday and moving south across the Coral Sea at 10km/h, the bureau said.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy says the disaster centre is on alert level for Jasper. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)
Heavy rainfall is expected along the central and north Queensland coast from Monday with the bureau set to monitor the need for flood watch alerts.
The state disaster centre has now been moved to alert level due to Jasper's trajectory, Queensland Police's Acting Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy said.
He said preparations are in place with both local and district disaster coordinators spanning from Mackay to Cairns.
Australia's cyclone season is usually from November to April, typically peaking in Queensland in February and March.
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