Central Texas could see heavy downpours this Mother's Day weekend. Here's what we know.

This Mother's Day weekend could get rough for parts of Central Texas with heavy rainfall expected, bringing with it a possibility of flash flooding throughout the region. These storms also could turn severe, with a possibility of hail and damaging winds.

Austin could see 1.5 to 2 inches of rain in just over that 24-hour period from Friday through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. And the rainfall totals look likely to increase, as rain chances are expected to last through Monday.

With an increased risk of heavy rainfall and flash flooding in the forecast for much of the state, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to deploy water rescue services across parts of Southeast Texas and the Coastal Bend.

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Here's what we know about this weekend's storms and how you can prepare:

When's the rain going to start?

Not until sometime Friday, with early Saturday just after midnight being when Austin's chance of rain goes up to 57%, according to National Weather Service predictions at Camp Mabry. However, there's about a 30% chance of rain starting Friday afternoon and lasting throughout the day in Austin.

For most of Central Texas, Saturday is when you can expect heavy rain and possible flooding chances, according to the weather service.

Keep an umbrella nearby, it could be a wet week in Central Texas

When's it going to end?

It looks like the storms could be ongoing throughout the weekend and into Monday.

At this point, the forecast is still developing. But the possibility of rain on Sunday does begin to dwindle starting in the evening, when the chance of precipitation goes from 70% to 45% in Austin, according to the National Weather Service.

Don't get too comfortable then, though; it's likely Austin will see more rain Monday afternoon.

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What are the chances of heavy rainfall?

For Friday, National Weather Service meteorologists have most of Central Texas at only a marginal risk for heavy rainfall, which is a level one out of four in the risk category.

However, the chance of heavy rain increases Saturday to a moderate risk, which is a level three out of four, according to the weather service.

This moderate risk factor will affect much of Central Texas, excluding parts of eastern Williamson County and much of Bastrop County. However, those counties can still expect rain, as they're at a level two risk for heavy rainfall.

What about severe weather?

It's possible, as there's a chance of large hail and damaging winds coming with this weekend's storm, the National Weather Service said.

If you're in Hays, Burnet or western Travis and Williamson counties, the chances of severe weather are a bit higher on Friday, with weather service meteorologists placing these region's chances for severe weather at a level two out of five. The rest of Central Texas will just be at a marginal risk or a level one.

On Saturday, the counties in Central Texas at a level two risk will shift a bit to include all of Hays and Caldwell counties, most of Travis County — including Austin — and a small portion of southern Bastrop County. The rest of the region will be at a level one risk for severe weather, according to the weather service.

Starting Friday afternoon and lasting into the evening, winds from the south-southeast are expected to start blowing into Austin, bringing gusts up to 20 mph. On Saturday, winds from the southeast will start blowing into Austin around noon and last through early Sunday, with gusts ranging from 18 to 22 mph.

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Should I start preparing now?

That's probably a good idea.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management had this advice to prepare for the possibility of flooding:

• Check your flood risk through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood map.

• Sign up for emergency notifications. Central Texans can sign up at warncentraltexas.org to receive text messages, calls or emails when there's an emergency situation in their area.

• Have an emergency supply kit with water, food, batteries, flashlights and more. Visit ready.gov/kit for more information.

• Place important documents in waterproof containers and protect your property by moving valuables to higher ground and cleaning out gutters.

In addition, Austin-Travis County EMS suggests that people download the "what3words" app. The app divides the world into three-meter squares, with each square getting a unique combination of three words so people can give a more accurate location of where they're located to emergency services.

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Maybe use this weekend to catch up on your favorite show

With the chance of some furious downpours, it's probably best to plan on staying home during the bad weather. Especially if you've been alerted of a flash flood in your area, get to higher ground and stay home.

If you must leave your home, remember these "turn around, don't drown" facts from the National Weather Service:

• Six inches of rushing water is enough to sweep a person off their feet and carry them away.

• Twelve inches of fast-moving water is enough to carry away a small car.

• Eighteen to 24 inches of rushing water can carry away most SUVs, vans or trucks.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Excessive rain could bring flash floods to Central Texas this weekend