Can nuclear weapons be used to stop a hurricane?

Factual Questions
1

When a hurricane is still at sea and is heading for land, can we just stop it using a bomb? The main idea is that whenever a hurricane hits land, it can result in billions of dollars in damages. So, instead of just sitting there and waiting for it to hit, can’t we obliterate it while it is still at sea?

Questions:

  • Is a nuclear bomb powerfull enough for this?
  • Will a conventional bomb suffice (e.g MOAB)?
  • Will it be better if the bomb exploded in the eye of the hurricane or near the outer layers?

Does anyone out there know how to do calculations about how much of a blast and at which location will be needed to dissolve a hurricane?

Even if this is possible with a conventional bomb, maybe no one wants to do it because of the unpredictable changes this might have on global weather. Nevertheless, I’m interested if it is even possible.

2

NOAA pretty much nails down your musings…

3

Thx for the link, Yeticus Rex. The question comes up every now and then and it will be useful to have actual info from the weather agency.

I suppose part of the problem is that the general public never gets a real picture of what are the energy dynamics of a major storm system. We just don’t have the firepower. (And injecting enough energy into the atmosphere to accomplish this, indeed could throw things off balance further down the road)

4

These guys think they have a non-nuclear solution to hurricanes. No idea if they’ve gotten to stage 2 of testing yet or not.

5

At the very least, such an approach runs the risk of spreading fallout over a truly huge area.