Hurricanes and Ocean Temperature

Great question, Gollum. I'm afraid that I can't be of any help but I sure hope someone can.

Because the heat of condensation is the primary energy source for a hurricane.

Because of the Earth's rotation, any column of air which rises also takes on a characteristic rotation. Warm ocean waters carry a lot of energy which is transferred to the atmosphere and the central air mass begins to rise. Correspondingly, cold air is displaced and begins to fall around the rising column. Because there are no surface features on the ocean to break up the convection, a cyclonic rotation is established and fed by the heat of the ocean. Once the rotation is established additional forces take effect which reinforce the system and stabilize it.

The warmer the ocean, the bigger the storm.

Thanks Rosborne.

A good link.
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/hurricane_worldbook.html

With a surface temp of 80 degrees F, [what the article says is needed] the amount of energy available is mind boggling. I cannot even begin to get my mind wrapped around the amount of energy transported.