A storm headed in the direction of Southern California became a hurricane and later strengthened to a Category 2 on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said in a public advisory.

It is expected to bring heavy rainfall to parts of the state after hitting Mexico.

The storm's remnants are likely to bring flooding rain as well as strong winds to some parts of California, including the Los Angeles Basin, the Weather Channel reports. Heavy rainfall is expected to impact the Southwestern U.S. starting Friday through early next week, "peaking on Sunday and Monday," according to the hurricane center.

Postel said the storm will likely cause large swells along the coast in the next several days.

"It is rare — indeed nearly unprecedented in the modern record — to have a tropical system like this move through Southern California," Postel said. (Source – emphasis mine.)

Given the government's complete failure to warn people in Maui about the deadly fire that caused such a horrible loss of life and property, if you live in the Southwestern part of the U.S., please take precautions and prepare for the worst case scenarios, while praying that they do not come to pass.

But do NOT rely on the government to give you accurate information, or you could end up like the victims in Maui who lost everything, including many of them who lost their lives, because they trusted their government officials to give them accurate information.