Tornado alley it's not, but a section of California was hit Saturday with a rare tornado that has been blamed for injuring five and flipping vehicles as a storm moved across the state.

A rare tornado in Northern California on Saturday caused quite a bit of damage as the spiraling vortex flipped cars, damaged homes and businesses and left thousands without power.

A tornado touched down in the Northern California town of Scotts Valley near Santa Cruz Saturday afternoon, flipping cars and knocking down power lines, according to authorities.