Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, and are often painless because they destroy the pain nerves. They can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation. 100% probability for 3rd degree burns at this yield is 13.9 cal/cm².
That yellow ring represents a 100% probability of 3rd degree burns. Aside from being in a nuclear bunker underground, I have no idea what kind of cover will protect someone from that kind of injury.
For third degree burns from thermal radiation you need line of sight to the explosion. Since basically all strategic nukes are airbursts, that means if you can see the sky, you’re fucked. But a sufficiently thick wall or a basement would probably spare you the worst of it
The radiation is so hot that it absolutely wrecks the surface, vaporizing or charring paint and skin near the epicenter, and causing burns and blindness further out, but so short that the heat doesn’t even have time to heat up the air to any meaningful amount, outside of the blast radius itself.
It’s insane that one bomb can basically wipe out an entire metropolitan area that spans several counties. I tried dropping the same one on my city to get a more intimate perspective, and holy crap. The people getting 3rd degree burns wouldn’t even consider themselves to be in my metropolitan area. They’d be thinking they’re entirely somewhere else.
Luckily, no one makes bombs with this high a yield. I think the highest yield of any deployed weapon is ~10% of that Tsar Bomba one. One would still destroy my city, but it wouldn’t completely erase it.
Goodness.
Have you seen this nuke simulator? See how various nukes would wreck your hometown.
This is the largest one ever designed on SF.
Let’s gooo im in the outer ring of the yellow zone, just gotta find some cover
Hope the air raid sirens are working then 😉
That yellow ring represents a 100% probability of 3rd degree burns. Aside from being in a nuclear bunker underground, I have no idea what kind of cover will protect someone from that kind of injury.
For third degree burns from thermal radiation you need line of sight to the explosion. Since basically all strategic nukes are airbursts, that means if you can see the sky, you’re fucked. But a sufficiently thick wall or a basement would probably spare you the worst of it
Ah, so the 3rd degree burns will come from light, not air temperature?
Yes, mainly. That’s also the reasons why you get silhouettes of people and objects cast on concrete
The radiation is so hot that it absolutely wrecks the surface, vaporizing or charring paint and skin near the epicenter, and causing burns and blindness further out, but so short that the heat doesn’t even have time to heat up the air to any meaningful amount, outside of the blast radius itself.
That’s really fascinating. Thanks for the explanation
It’s insane that one bomb can basically wipe out an entire metropolitan area that spans several counties. I tried dropping the same one on my city to get a more intimate perspective, and holy crap. The people getting 3rd degree burns wouldn’t even consider themselves to be in my metropolitan area. They’d be thinking they’re entirely somewhere else.
Luckily, no one makes bombs with this high a yield. I think the highest yield of any deployed weapon is ~10% of that Tsar Bomba one. One would still destroy my city, but it wouldn’t completely erase it.
Something tells me they won’t be using pointlessly large bombs anytime soon.
The next few smaller don’t have significantly smaller blast radii.
Well, looks like I might have a 50/50 shot of horrible burns and cancer if they hit SF. That or very painful death. Cool