what would happen if a nuclear

If a nuclear weapon were to detonate, it would release an immense amount of energy in the form of blast, heat, and radiation. The immediate effects include a powerful shockwave traveling at hundreds of kilometers per hour, causing deadly injuries and destruction near ground zero, severe burns from intense thermal radiation, and fires that can merge into a massive firestorm. People further from the blast could suffer lung injuries, ear damage, internal bleeding, and injuries from collapsing buildings and flying debris. Even those in underground shelters might face death due to oxygen deprivation and poisoning by carbon monoxide. Long-term effects are severe and include exposure to ionizing radiation causing cancer, genetic damage, and environmental contamination. Radioactive fallout would contaminate large areas, potentially affecting health for years. A nuclear explosion would overwhelm disaster-relief systems and create massive refugee crises. In the case of large-scale nuclear war, the resulting nuclear winter caused by soot clouding the atmosphere could disrupt global climate, leading to famine that could threaten billions of people worldwide. A single nuclear bomb could kill hundreds of thousands immediately, with many more injured, and the overall effects would be catastrophic on both human health and the environment, disrupting societies on a global scale.