One Nuclear Explosion Over Minneapolis

The document models the impact of a 550-kiloton Russian nuclear warhead exploding 2,000 feet above downtown Minneapolis, estimating 120,000 immediate deaths and 120,000 serious injuries. It details the destructive effects of the blast wave, thermal radiation causing widespread third-degree burns, and radioactive fallout contaminating thousands of square miles. The author argues that the U.S. must remove weapons from hair-trigger alert and pursue the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons to reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorized attacks.

• A single typical Russian nuclear weapon (550 kilotons) detonating 2,000 feet above downtown Minneapolis would cause approximately 120,000 deaths and 120,000 serious injuries within hours.
• The blast from such an explosion would be catastrophic: all buildings and people within a 1-mile radius would be killed, and most buildings within 3 miles would be destroyed, killing roughly half the occupants.
• Thermal radiation would cause severe burns and fires; almost everyone without building shelter within 5 miles would suffer third-degree burns, and most within 6 miles would suffer second- or third-degree burns.
• Radioactive fallout would contaminate thousands of square miles based on average Minneapolis wind speeds, with doses above 1,000 rems being fatal and doses above 150 rems causing radiation sickness.
• The United States and Russia maintain approximately 7,000 nuclear weapons, with over a thousand warheads each on hair-trigger alert, creating a grave risk of accidental or unauthorized attack.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2008). One Nuclear Explosion Over Minneapolis. https://www.ucs.org/resources/one-nuclear-explosion-over-minneapolis

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. One Nuclear Explosion Over Minneapolis. 2008. https://www.ucs.org/resources/one-nuclear-explosion-over-minneapolis.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=One Nuclear Explosion Over Minneapolis |date=10 August 2008 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/one-nuclear-explosion-over-minneapolis |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2008one, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{One Nuclear Explosion Over Minneapolis}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2008}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/one-nuclear-explosion-over-minneapolis}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }