Science: How a Hurricane Works

At its peak, a hurricane can dump 5 cubic miles of rain per day and unleash thermal power (freed by condensation of that water) at a rate of 6 x 1014 watts—equal to 200 times the amount of electricity generated by humans worldwide. Only about 0.25% of this power is converted to wind.

For more, see How a Hurricane Works by Douglas Fox, August 25, 2011 at Popular Mechanics.