Twister (1996): Oklahoma and Iowa Filming Locations

Twister opens on an Oklahoma farm in 1969, where young Jo Thornton and her parents shelter from an F5 tornado that destroys the farm and kills her father. The opening scene and the first tornado chase were filmed in Fairfax and Ralston, Oklahoma. Years later a real tornado struck Fairfax and destroyed the farmhouse where numerous scenes were shot. Fairfax is a small town in Osage County.

Location precision: The film was shot around Fairfax and Ralston with no single named address; the pin marks the town of Fairfax.

Bill takes the lead in his own truck, and the team chases a tornado that becomes a waterspout and moves out onto Kaw Lake. The waterspout thrashes the truck around, but everyone is unharmed. The scenes were filmed on Kaw Lake near Kaw City. The lake is a reservoir in northern Oklahoma, completed in 1976. It lies about eight miles east of Ponca City.

Location precision: The sources do not give the stretch of shoreline used; the pin marks Kaw Lake near Kaw City.

The team stops in Wakita to see Jo's Aunt Meg for rest and food. Later a tornado leaves the town in ruins and flattens her house. The film used the real town, and its water tower bearing its name is shown on screen. A section of the older part of town was demolished for the aftermath scenes, and most residents signed up as extras at $100 per day. Today a Twister museum in Wakita holds memorabilia and artifacts related to the film.

Location precision: The pin marks the town of Wakita; the exact streets used for the wrecked scenes are not given.

Visitor guidance: A Twister museum in Wakita displays film memorabilia; check opening times before driving out.

In the film, a tornado destroys a drive-in during a showing of The Shining. The scene was filmed at a real drive-in theater in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and The Shining was played during the sequence. Some of the scene, such as Melissa's hotel room, was filmed in Stillwater.

Location precision: Sources name Guthrie but not the theater; the pin marks the town of Guthrie.

With the seasons changing Oklahoma's look, filming moved to Iowa, and the climactic F5 scene was almost entirely shot around Eldora. In the story a mile-wide F5 tornado forms the next day. Bill and Jo drive straight at it, and their sensors send data. They then strap themselves to deep pipes in a farm pumphouse as the core passes over them. The old Follett house in Eldora, where the final part was filmed, is now a private home.

Location precision: Sources place the finale around Eldora; the pin marks the town, not a specific field or farm.