Newsweek Reveals Your Chance of Surviving Nuclear War in Michigan

Growing up during the Cold War, it wasn't hard imagining one of the nation's leaders, most of whom wore jumpsuits at the time, getting a bad cup of coffee one morning, getting into an argument with their spouse, stepping on a Lego, and deciding to launch a nuclear attack. But, if such an unfortunate and far-fetched series of events were to happen today (thankfully, our coffees are a lot better now, and there are fewer jumpsuits), would Michigan be among the "safe" states according to Newsweek's latest analysis?

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Actually, it's better than you'd think. I was raised in a world where the biggest targets were the population centers. With Chicago in Michigan's backyard and being downwind from the East Coast population centers, the Mitten State wasn't looking like where I'd want to spend the twilight of my nuclear fallout years. However, times and targets change.

If Your Opponent Has a Bigger Stick, Take Out the Stick

Newsweek analyzed data from previous Scientific American studies. Instead of looking at the fallout and survival rates in population centers, they focused on who was most likely to live after an attack on the United States nuclear arsenal. As far as we know, this is well outside Michigan and the Midwest, mainly living in America's Heartland.

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So, what states are in the crosshairs in this scenario? You wouldn't want to be in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, or North Dakota. These are the states that would be exposed to more radiation than most because they're home to the bulk of our country's missile silos.

Newsweek Analysis Reveals Michigan's Safety One Year After Nuclear War

The study looked at the number of grays (Gy) (a measurement of how much radiation something absorbs, like how much water a sponge can take in) the average person would be exposed to and compared it to their distance from the fallout of an attack on America's nuclear arsenal. Based on fallout projections, Michigan, the entire East Coast, and almost every state east of Wisconsin fall within the "safest states" in an average-case scenario.

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In the event of a stronger strike or what Newsweek calls "the worst-case scenario," Michiganders may not die from the fallout, but there would be enough radiation exposure to have a dramatic impact on their health. In this case, the safety line would begin east of Ohio, making our closest haven Pennsylvania. If you're curious about what cities would be the most likely targets in a population-based study, read on.