This section of the site shows the impact of a 1 megaton nuclear explosion on each of America’s 50 largest cities.
The imagery displayed below was generated by the awesome interactive NukeMap system developed by Alex Wellerstein, which he shares on his NuclearSecrecy blog.
Alex is a historian of science who specializes in the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear secrecy, and so his NukeMap system is fairly sophisticated, offering a number of technical options. I’ve attempted to simplify the display a bit on this site for a more general non-technical audience.
Click on a city below to get a quick look at the blast zone for a 1 megaton detonation, or visit the NukeMap for a more complex range of display options.
Albuquerque
Arlington
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Boston
Charlotte
Chicago
Colorado Springs
Columbus
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
El Paso
Fort Worth
Fresno
Houston
The following table shows the estimated deaths in each of America’s fifty largest cities for a 1 megaton nuclear detonation. Other estimates for different scenarios can be obtained on the NukeMap site.
| DEATHS | CITY |
| 153,170 | Albuquerque |
| 162,040 | Arlington |
| 234,870 | Atlanta |
| 218,080 | Austin |
| 343,250 | Baltimore |
| 599,080 | Boston |
| 161,210 | Charlotte |
| 609,140 | Chicago |
| 116,690 | Colorado Springs |
| 224,150 | Columbus |
| 242,450 | Dallas |
| 274,750 | Denver |
| 249,890 | Detroit |
| 43,620 | El Paso |
| 150,690 | Fort Worth |
| 34,430 | Fresno |
| 330,850 | Houston |
| 179,900 | Indianapolis |
| 128,310 | Jacksonville |
| 145,090 | Kansas City |
| 297,630 | Las Vegas |
| 264,350 | Long Beach |
| 615,400 | Los Angeles |
| 174,010 | Louisville |
| 94,500 | Memphis |
| 167,550 | Mesa |
| 257,360 | Miami |
| 252,920 | Milwaukee |
| 312,760 | Minneapolis |
| 158,820 | Nashville |
| 211,360 | New Orleans |
| 1,838,530 | New York City |
| 264,910 | Oakland |
| 130,500 | Oklahoma City |
| 150,200 | Omaha |
| 458,560 | Philadelphia |
| 221,330 | Phoenix |
| 265,130 | Portland |
| 136,800 | Raleigh |
| 222,000 | Sacramento |
| 215,930 | San Antonio |
| 278,040 | San Diego |
| 476,860 | San Francisco |
| 641,600 | San Jose |
| 286,140 | Seattle |
| 168,520 | Tucson |
| 132,770 | Tulsa |
| 42,860 | Virginia Beach |
| 549,100 | Washington D.C. |
| 124,160 | Wichita |
| 14,012,260 | TOTAL DEATHS |
According to estimates generated by NukeMap, if each of America’s 50 largest cities were hit by a 1 megaton nuclear bomb the total death toll would be about 14 million people, with many more injuries.
The arsenals of the nuclear power states are approximately as follows:
| NUKES | COUNTRY |
| 6,850 | Russia |
| 6,185 | USA |
| 300 | France |
| 280 | China |
| 215 | UK |
| 145 | Pakistan |
| 135 | India |
| 80 | Israel |
| 15 | North Korea |