A single large hurricane can release as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs.

The staggering energy of a hurricane is primarily derived from latent heat release. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an average hurricane produces energy in two ways: through the formation of clouds and rain, and through the mechanical energy of its winds. The condensation process is the most powerful, releasing about 5.2 quintillion joules of energy per day.This output is equivalent to about 600 terawatts, or roughly 200 times the global electrical generating capacity of 3 terawatts. To put this in perspective, the energy released by cloud formation in a single day is comparable to the detonation of 10,000 ten-megaton nuclear bombs. Even the wind energy alone accounts for about 1.5 trillion watts, which is about half the world's total electricity production.Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) emphasize that hurricanes act as massive heat engines. They draw warm, moist air from the ocean surface and convert it into kinetic energy and heat as the air rises and cools. This thermodynamic process is so efficient that a category 5 storm like Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or Hurricane Irma in 2017 can maintain devastating wind speeds of over 157 mph for days at a time.