5 Injured in Rare California Tornado

Five people were injured over the weekend in severe California weather, but not the type you'd typically associate with the state. A rare tornado touched down Saturday afternoon in the small city of Scotts Valley, about six miles north of Santa Cruz and 70 miles south of San Francisco, report NBC News and the AP. Earlier that day, San Francisco had received the first tornado warning in the city's history, though one didn't actually materialize. (The city did see heavy straight-line winds that knocked down trees.)

In Scotts Valley, none of the injuries were life-threatening, and most were sustained by people in overturned vehicles. The local police department posted photos of the aftermath. California as a whole averages only 11 tornadoes a year, and most whip through the northern Central Valley. Related to the rareness: The San Francisco warning urged people to take shelter, while noting that many homes in the area don't have basements, reports the Weather Channel. The alternative suggestion: head to an interior room on the lowest floor possible, away from windows. (More tornadoes stories.)