American scientist proposed the idea of destroying super typhoons with nuclear bombs

Reed believes that a nuclear weapon with an explosion equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT is enough to affect the storm.

Witnessing the terrible consequences left by super typhoons, many scientists in history have found ways to prevent this extreme weather phenomenon. One of them was Jack W. Reed, a meteorologist who had once proposed the idea of using a nuclear bomb to actively repel a storm 60 years ago.

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During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the peak period of the Cold War, the people regarded nuclear bombs as scary weapons of mass destruction. In order to change this concept, the US decided to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes, particularly to implement the Plowshare project in 1958.

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Plowshare project uses nuclear bombs for peaceful purposes.(Photo: Oddly Historical.)

In the Plowshare project, to search for peaceful uses of nuclear bombs, American scientists learned how to use nuclear bombs in tunneling, geological research and energy production. One of the most daring ideas was "attacking the storm with nuclear weapons" by US Air Force Reed meteorologist at the end of World War II.

In 1946, while active in the Philippines, Reed once undertook eight missions to overcome storms with B-29 aircraft, so he was obsessed with the Power of the Storms.

Later, when participating in a nuclear test program and studying the effects of the weather of nuclear explosions, he formed the idea of using nuclear power to weaken and change the path of the storm. .

Reed believes that a nuclear weapon with an explosion equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT is enough to affect the storm. Specifically, he argued that detonating nuclear weapons in mid-air, right outside the eye of the storm, would greatly affect the horizontal flow of the storm for at least 15 minutes.

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Super storm has tremendous destructive power.(Photo: National Geographic.)

That was the original proposal, after which Reed wanted to drop a nuclear bomb in the center of the storm. Because according to him, the eye of the storm was about 10 degrees warmer than the rest, so if the explosion occurred here the heat it emitted would cause the temperature to rise. The gas in the center of the storm will rise and draw hot gas in the eye of the storm into the stratosphere. Colder air at the edge of the storm will fill this gap and slow down, even stop the storm.

In order to bring a nuclear bomb into the center of the storm, Reed launched to drop from above or use a submarine. Submarines will penetrate the eye of the storm from the water at least a day in advance and collect as much data as possible before the launch of the nuclear missile.

American scientist proposed the idea of destroying super typhoons with nuclear bombs Picture 3 American scientist proposed the idea of destroying super typhoons with nuclear bombs Picture 3
Jack W. Reed wants to drop a nuclear bomb at the center of the storm.(Photo: National Geographic.)

In 1956, Reed first proposed this idea but was rejected. Undeterred, he returned his idea to Plowshare in 1959 and continued to be rejected.

Chris Landsea of the US National Hurricane Center said Reed's idea was completely impossible because it was difficult to assess the necessary energy level of a nuclear bomb to change the storm.

The energy of a complete development storm can be released many times larger than a nuclear bomb. Its thermal energy generates 5 to 20 times 1013 W and converts less than 10% of heat into wind energy. According to the 1993 Yearbook, in 1993, all mankind used energy at 1013 W, only 20% of the energy of a super typhoon.

Landsea believes that most tropical storms are stronger than nuclear weapons. He also worries about the fallout from a nuclear explosion that could have very terrible consequences.

Regarding fallout dust, Reed completes that this problem can be solved. An elevated nuclear bomb explosion will not leave too much radioactive dust. The cleaning device will help minimize what is left in the air and there will be no radioactive rain because the clouds are above the storm.

Although the idea of using nuclear bombs to "break Reed's storm did not get the approval of scientists, he persisted with his project until 2004. Reed died in 2007."