To ask how long it will take to die if we do get nuked

[MagicalRealist]

Just this really. How quick? I know the warning, if there is one, will only be a few minutes so nowhere near enough time to get to school and be with DC. But when the bombs hit, is it just a flash of light and then oblivion? Or a longer scarier process? Obviously I hope none of this will actually happen.

So to cover your questions OP, if it's a missile from North Korea, they don't have the range to reach the UK, the flight time of a missile from NK to New York is 38mins. So more like 15 mins by the time the news reaches you. For a missile from China and Russia it would be about 10 mins warning.

Civilian targets are banned under the "rules of war" so you need to be close to a military target

Within 5 miles: you won't know how or why you died, the only evidence of your existence would be your shadow that had been permanently burnt onto the wall as you were standing next to.

10 miles: bright flash followed by a blast wave, lots of death and injury caused by flying glass rubble etc,

20 miles: you would survive no problem, you may be blind from the flash for a temporary time. Radiation not a concern

Most modern weapons are airburst, they explode about 5000ft above the target. This causes more damage but much less radiation

OMG, I hope I'm wiped out in an instant, but please, (any god you pray to) it doesn't happen!

That nuke site is fucked up. Who the hell builds a site like that? And why?

It's not going to happen.

Cheery stuff. I live on the perimeter fence of the biggest air base in the UK....
Guess I don't have to worry about 'prepping' :O

Thanks Ninja. Yeah I know it's utterly beyond our control, totally accept that. And I'd feel less frightened in a way if I knew that I could be with my DC if/when it happened. So at least I could comfort them to some degree. The thought of it happening to them at school and preschool is unbearable. Which is why I'm hoping to god that it's a virtually instant process.

OstentatiousWanking

That nuke site is fucked up. Who the hell builds a site like that? And why?

Nuke map is fascinating, the mathematical model behind it must have taken a long time. As for why, emergency planning.

Is anyone else planning to head to the very north tip of Scotland? That's my plan.

Can you get there in four minutes cherry?

I have a vague recollection that current practice is for an airburst which will not damage much materially, but create a nasty fallout which will polish off any survivors

Airburst is the preferred choice but does the opposite to what you say.

Poisoned rain (mentioned above) is of course another factor.

Detectable raised radiation was found in rain as far away as the Lake District in the days after the Chernobyl disaster. Not in quantities to cause radiation sickness, and that far out quite possibly weak enough to make no measurable distance. But closer in, even if no radiation sickness you could easily be looking at significantly raised cancer rates with earlier onset.

Good point!

If a war is called then I would head to Scotland.

OH has a gcse in physics, so knows whats what. If you survive the initial blast, cover yourself in sunfactor 3000, or paint yourself white, to repel the radiation. Then lose weight, because they will eat the fat ones first.

It's not going to happen. The UN is going to get involved and it will get sorted. North Korea can't exist without China's support and China aren't going to let it happen. I suspect if KJU continues down this path he will be removed by China.

BTW, if you want some light (?) reading in the spread of radiation, try 'On the Beach' by Neville Shute.

Realistically, if you head to Scotland, you'll just get caught in a hideous traffic jam on the M1.

Cheery thread.

Probably, if NK situation escalates, any nuclear exchange would be limited (which is no comfort to those in the areas affected of course).

It would take quite a lot of bombs to trigger a proper nuclear winter (we'd all be pretty much fucked then).

There are enough "live", ready to use nukes to wipe the entire planet x4, but I don't think anyone is crazy enough to use them - even in an all out war situation surely someone is going to say "we are not doing this", and not escalate after the first few go off.

Thank you Kursk. So a 10 min warning, possibly slightly longer? Thats better than the 3 mins or so I thought it was. Though probably still not enough to get to the school

I was thinking the exact same thing this morning. We're on holiday in deepest darkest northern Scotland so maybe we'd be ok. Back home is near an early warning station so maybe not as safe there, who knows.

Kim Jung Whatshisface doesn't worry me as much as Trump, he scares the bejesus out of me.

80s but gives distances from blast affects.

Kursk - you have a very apposite name for this thread!!

Stock up on potassium iodide.

I'm in Scotland and about ten minutes drives from an army base. Not sure I'll be much better off!