Would Would Happen if You Nuked a Hurricane?

While this idea was seriously considered in the 1950s, it might possibly be the worst idea in the history of ideas, maybe ever.

Hurricanes, even baby hurricanes like a category 1 or 2, are incredibly powerful. Every 20 minutes they can release the same amount of energy as a 10-megaton nuclear weapon. That’s like 33 nukes from WW2 exploding every minute.

Theoretically, yes, if you detonated a large enough nuke in the eye of a hurricane you could displace the air for a few seconds. But it would instantly come rushing back. You’d need to be constantly detonating nukes every few seconds to keep the hurricane from reforming.

This presents its own set of problems. Delivery, and collateral damage. You’d either need a fleet of submarines beneath the hurricane constantly launching nukes, or a squadron of specially modified C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft. They could fly in low Earth orbit above the hurricane and push a nuke out the cargo bay doors every few seconds.

Ignoring the monetary cost of all this (which would be much higher than any damage the hurricane would cause) you’d have to deal with the fallout.

The nukes would send radioactive particles of dirt into the air, which would be sucked up by the hurricane, and possibly carried to land. Fallout could make the land uninhabitable for generations.

So...don’t try this.