NUKES: Effects Of A Nuclear Detonation On New York City

The following image shows the impact of a 1 megaton nuclear explosion on New York City. You can see other cities here.

Estimated fatalities: 1,838,530

Estimated injuries: 3,099,980

Map from NukeMap by Alex Wellerstein. An interactive map for this city is available here.

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Blast Zone Descriptions

Here’s a simplified description of the blast zones that result from a nuclear detonation. A more detailed description is available on the NukeMap website.

Fireball: Yellow zone at very center of display. Everything in this zone is vaporized.

Moderate Blast Damage: Next zone from center, colored gray. Most residential buildings collapse, injuries are universal, fatalities are widespread.

Thermal Radiation: Next zone from center, colored yellow. Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, which can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation.

Light Blast Damage: Largest zone, colored gray. Windows can be expected to break, causing many injuries in a surrounding population who comes to a window after seeing the flash of a nuclear explosion.

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Here’s a video which describes the impact of a nuclear explosion on a city.