Hurricanes need certain ingredients to make them form; warm ocean water, air that is both warm and humid and weak upper level winds. The storm must somehow convert the warm humid air into energy. This is how it is done: As the warm tropical air rises further into the storm, it condenses into water nuclei and releases heat which is known as 'latent heat'. This latent heat warms the air around it and that air rises and condenses and this process continues. As the thunderstorms build, a rotation at the surface will begin. This rotation becomes stronger as the thunderstorms start to rotate around the center of the low pressure. High pressure aloft allows for the hurricane to vent air and is necessary in the formation of hurricanes. Once it has organized itself, the prevailing trade winds will take it towards the east.