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"...Nevertheless, there are certain circumstances that could be much more extreme. It’s possible that a volcano’s intense heat—lava can register 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit—could intensify a tropical cyclone. Heat evaporates seawater, which rises to create thunderstorms. No heat, no storm. And an explosive eruption might still temporarily disrupt areas within a hurricane. For instance, dust shot into the atmosphere could delay or accelerate rainfall, Nolan says. One study suggests the dust would contribute to more lightning. In fact, massive eruptions often generate cinematic lightning within their boiling black clouds.

More intriguing—and terrifying—is a theory that a submerged, massive volcano could heat enough ocean water to supercharge a Category 5 hurricane or super typhoon. Heating the already abundant heat of tropical waters would make storms bigger and stronger, and do it in less time. Jeff Masters, the meteorology director at Weather Underground, says such an underwater eruption might even spin up something called a hypercane, with winds reaching the speed of sound."