LAS CRUCES – Rain, rain and more rain is expected in southwestern New Mexico this weekend.

Several inches of rain could fall on the Black Fire burn scar, leading to particularly dangerous conditions in the eastern Gila National Forest.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of southern and western New Mexico between noon Friday, Aug. 19 through at least 6 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 21. The chance for heavy rain and thunderstorms during this time is 80% and 90% depending on the area.

Joe DeLizio, NWS meteorologist, said a weather system will move through southern New Mexico during the roughly 48-hour period, though chances for rain will continue to early next week. Anywhere from two to four inches could fall in Silver City, Deming, Truth or Consequences, Las Cruces and El Paso.

“It might depend on where the heaviest band of rain sets up, that might be a little bit more up in the air,” DeLizio said. “Maybe it’s over El Paso, maybe it’s over Deming, but you basically have a pretty good shot at some of those (high) totals everywhere.”

This could potentially be the wettest few days of the monsoon season this year. DeLizio said southern New Mexico and west Texas is above normal in terms of amount of precipitation received this season, though the heart of Las Cruces is closer to a normal year.

North and east of Silver City within the Gila National Forest, the Black Fire burn scar is expected to receive three or more inches of rain, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Ash from the spring-summer wildfire and already saturated soil may make for a more dangerous couple of days.

“We’re worried a little bit about the Gila River as well,” DeLizio added. “I think the river’s already running a little bit high and so … if you get all of this rain it might cause some river flooding as well.”

He suggested everyone pay attention to the weather advisories these next couple of days and try to stay away from planning outdoor activities, including hiking, especially Saturday.

Sandbags are available at fire stations and Office of Emergency Management locations. Sandbags help keep floodwaters from going into residences through doorways. The Las Cruces Fire Department suggested in a news release that people obtain sandbags only if they have experienced flooding in the past or who expect flooding this weekend.

A year ago this month, La Union and many other rural southern New Mexico communities experienced damaging floods due to monsoonal rainfall. Because of the intensity of the rain expected and the already wet conditions, people are encouraged to follow safety measures.

More:La Union flooding led to 'total rewrite' of flood preparedness plan

The Las Cruces Police Department released several safety tips for drivers traveling in the area over the next few days. These include:

Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.