The possibility of nuclear conflict between the United States and Russia is a significant concern in international relations. However, the potential devastation that a single nuclear strike could inflict on American cities is often overlooked. Using data from nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein, Newsweek paints a horrifying picture of the destruction that could unfold if Russia were to target key U.S. cities with its most powerful nuclear weapons.
The Weapon of Mass Destruction: Russia’s Ss-18 Satan Missile
One of Russia’s most formidable nuclear weapons is the R-36M2 missile, also known as the SS-18 Satan. With a yield of 20 megatons—20,000 kilotons of TNT—the SS-18 is capable of unleashing devastating destruction. If fired at American cities, the consequences would be catastrophic, with millions of lives at risk and entire urban areas obliterated in the blink of an eye.
How a Nuclear Bomb Would Ravage U.S. States
The destructive power of the SS-18 Satan would not end with the initial explosion. The fireball generated by the bomb would be so intense that everything within 15.1 square miles would be instantly vaporized. The immense heat would burn everything in its path, and the shockwave would destroy buildings, send debris flying, and ignite fires across hundreds of square miles.
In the aftermath, a thermal radiation zone would cause third-degree burns to people up to several miles away from the epicenter of the blast. The firestorms created by the explosion would wreak havoc, causing destruction far beyond the bomb’s immediate impact zone. Even cities as far as New York and Los Angeles would experience catastrophic effects, with the thermal radiation reaching people in surrounding areas and causing deadly burns.
What happens to U.S. Cities in the Blast Radius?
Let’s look at the terrifying reality for some of America’s largest cities:
Washington, D.C.
A direct nuclear strike on Washington, D.C. would result in catastrophic consequences. The immediate death toll would exceed 1.6 million people, with nearly 6 million affected in the larger fallout zone. Within a 15.1-square-mile radius, everything would be vaporized by the extreme heat of the explosion.
The shockwave from the blast would level buildings, and fires would spread across the city. The immense radiation would cause third-degree burns to anyone within several miles of the explosion. Washington, D.C. would be transformed into a mass grave, with survivors facing severe radiation sickness and total infrastructure collapse.
A map showing the impact of an attack on Washington D.C. (Alex Wellerstein NUKEMAPS)New York City
New York City, one of the most iconic cities in the world, would face similar devastation. Over 5.4 million people would perish in the immediate blast, with widespread destruction across the entire metropolitan area. The fireball from the nuclear explosion would vaporize everything within the blast zone, while the shockwave would flatten buildings and ignite fires across the city.
The heat and radiation would reach far beyond ground zero, causing third-degree burns for anyone within miles. In the aftermath, New York would be a ruin, with little hope for survival for those who are not immediately killed.
A map showing the impact of an attack on New York. (Alex Wellerstein NUKEMAPS)Los Angeles
Los Angeles, another major urban center, would suffer catastrophic damage from a nuclear strike. The blast would result in massive loss of life, with an estimated 3.5 million people killed instantly. The explosion would create a massive fireball, burning everything within a 15.1-square-mile area. The shockwave would flatten buildings and send debris flying, causing further destruction across the city.
The thermal radiation would cause severe burns across a large area, leaving thousands more with life-threatening injuries. Like New York, Los Angeles would face an overwhelming death toll, with survivors struggling to survive in the face of collapsed infrastructure and contaminated air.
A map showing the impact of an attack on Los Angeles. (Alex Wellerstein NUKEMAPS)Chicago
Chicago would not escape the effects of a Russian nuclear strike either. The city would experience widespread devastation, with millions of people killed or severely injured. The immediate area within the blast zone would be completely destroyed, with buildings reduced to rubble and fires igniting throughout the region.
Chicago’s downtown area and residential districts would be engulfed in flames, while the surrounding areas would suffer from severe radiation exposure. The shockwave would level entire neighborhoods, causing mass casualties and widespread panic. The overall death toll in Chicago could exceed 3 million, with the city rendered uninhabitable for the foreseeable future.
A map showing the impact of an attack on Chicago. (Alex Wellerstein NUKEMAPS)Houston
Houston, a major city in Texas, would also be a prime target in the event of a nuclear war. The effects of a nuclear explosion would cause widespread destruction, killing millions instantly. The thermal radiation would ignite fires across the city, and the shockwave would level buildings and infrastructure.
The fallout would spread across the surrounding region, leaving survivors with severe burns and radiation sickness. The city would be in ruins, with no immediate hope for recovery. The total loss of life in Houston would likely be in the millions, and the city would be unrecognizable in the aftermath.
A map showing the impact of an attack on Houston. (Alex Wellerstein NUKEMAPS)Phoenix
Phoenix, located in the southwestern U.S., would experience similar catastrophic impacts. The explosion would vaporize everything within a 15.1-square-mile area, while the surrounding zones would be severely affected by the shockwave and fires. The radiation would spread, causing widespread third-degree burns to people far outside the immediate blast zone.
Phoenix would face a total collapse of its infrastructure, and millions of people would perish, either from the explosion itself or the lingering effects of radiation. The city would become a wasteland, with little chance of survival for those who remain.
A map showing the impact of an attack on Phoenix. (Alex Wellerstein NUKEMAPS)Philadelphia
A nuclear strike on Philadelphia would result in widespread devastation, with over 2 million people killed instantly. The blast would vaporize everything within the explosion’s radius, and the surrounding areas would be heavily impacted by the shockwave and resulting fires.
Thermal radiation would cause severe burns and radiation sickness to people within miles of ground zero. Much like other cities, Philadelphia’s infrastructure would be destroyed, and survival for those left behind would be extremely unlikely. The loss of life would be staggering, leaving the city uninhabitable for the foreseeable future.
A map showing the impact of an attack on Philadelphia. (Alex Wellerstein NUKEMAPS)Dallas
Dallas, located in the heart of Texas, would also face dire consequences of a nuclear attack. The thermal radiation from the explosion would set fires across the entire city, while the shockwave would cause catastrophic damage to buildings and infrastructure.
Millions would die in the initial blast, with survivors facing the horrors of radiation exposure and collapsing infrastructure. The fallout would spread, impacting surrounding regions and making recovery almost impossible. Like Houston, Dallas would be rendered unrecognizable, and the death toll could reach millions.
A map showing the impact of an attack on Dallas. (Alex Wellerstein NUKEMAPS) These scenarios present a stark and alarming picture of the potential consequences of a nuclear strike on major U.S. cities. The scale of destruction would be without precedent, with millions of lives lost and entire cities rendered uninhabitable.
The immediate loss of life would be considerable, but the long-term effects – including radiation sickness, environmental devastation and the collapse of infrastructure – would cause even greater suffering for survivors. The threat of such a strike remains a terrifying possibility, one that highlights the urgent need for diplomatic solutions and the prevention of nuclear war.