Newsweek: Fallout Map

Newsweek recently published an article entitled "Map Shows Safest US States to Live During Nuclear War" with the following graphic:

Before you get excited because you live on the West Coast, I would note that the fallout pattern is only modeled on attacks against the major ICBM fields in Montana, North Dakota and Nebraska, but doesn't include any other targets. Of course, in a nuclear war, there would be a great number of other military and civilian targets and you would want to consider possible fallout from those areas. For instance, for me living in Southwest Idaho, I would be concerned of attacks on the naval yard and submarine pens in Bremerton, WA, as well as McCord and Fairchild AFBs in Washington, Mountain Home AFB in Idaho, and Hill AFB in Utah. And, of course, California is chock full of military installations that would be hit, including Naval Base San Diego, Edwards AFB, and Vandenburg AFB, among others. Nevada has a few, not the least of which is Nellis AFB. While it is less likely that Southwest Idaho would get fallout from those targets in California and Nevada, it is possible. 

    That said, the ICBM fields would probably have the greatest intensity of ground burst attacks and so would produce the greatest amount of fallout.