Formation of a proper cyclone requires six important conditions.

Cyclones are just giant heat

engines. A huge low-pressure system surrounded by vertical lift, feeding off of warm ocean water.

(1) Warm ocean waters of at least 26.5C (80F) throughout a sufficient depth. We don't actually
know how deep is necessary... but we estimate it to be necessary down to at least around 50 m (150
ft) or so.. Warm waters are necessary to fuel the heat engine of the tropical cyclone.

(2) An atmosphere which cools fast enough with altitude so that it is potentially unstable to moist
convection. It's the thunderstorm activity which allows the heat stored in the ocean waters to be
pulled out ("liberated") for the tropical cyclone to develop.

(3) Relatively moist layers near the mid-troposphere (lowest level of the atmosphere, 5 km, or about
3 miles being important in this case). Dry mid-levels are bad, and will slow or even destroy the
further formation of the necessary thunderstorm activity.

(4) A minimum distance of at least 500 km (300 mi) from the equator. For tropical "cyclogenesis"
(birth) to occur, there is a requirement for a good amount of the Coriolis force to provide for near-
gradient wind balance to occur. Without the Coriolis force, the low pressure of the disturbance
cannot be maintained, and the cyclone would die.

(5) A pre-existing near-surface disturbance with sufficient vorticity ("spinning") and convergence
(everything being "sucked in"). Tropical cyclones don't just spontaneously come to life. To develop,
they require a weakly organized system with sizable spin and low level inflow. In fact, a cyclone is
almost like a weather-parasite, if you like colorful analogies.

(6) Finally, low values (less than about 10 m/s (20 kts or 23 mph) of vertical wind shear between the
surface and the upper troposphere. Vertical wind shear is the magnitude of wind change with
height. Large values of vertical wind shear disrupt the growing tropical cyclone and can prevent its
final formation, or, if a tropical cyclone has already formed, large vertical shear can weaken or
destroy the tropical cyclone by interfering with the organization of deep convection around the
cyclone center.