Now, scientists believe they have come up with a way to successfully subdue these destructive storms, long before they have a chance to reach land.

In a first-of-a-kind study, researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) have modeled what they believe is a method to shut down a growing storm by using different-shaped aerosol particles that can disrupt nature, knocking the destructive power out of these systems.

"Others have looked at the impact of aerosols on a fully grown cyclone – when it might be about to hit land," said Roslyn Prinsley, an associate professor at ANU. "We thought, it may be easier to stop them before they start. We've now shown it's possible to reduce their intensity in those early stages."

To date, storm-killing efforts haven't been impactful, largely because tropical cyclones (TCs) are unpredictable and incredibly challenging to study. In this latest study, the ANU team has aimed to take the guesswork out of diffusing a hurricane's power, and used comprehensive geophysical models to demonstrate how tiny particles of varied shapes can fundamentally alter a storm's ability to grow. And the earlier they're deployed into a storm, the better.

"If you use different sizes of aerosols, you get a different impact on the cyclone, but they all hold promise," said Prinsley. "Our study shows, for the first time, the impacts of aerosols of varied sizes on the formation of a tropical cyclone. We found that coarse aerosols initially dampen vortex acceleration, while fine or ultrafine aerosols boost it first, but later weaken it more than coarse aerosols."

Prinsley has now joined with Silicon Valley startup Aeolus, a company dedicated to weakening tropical storms before they have a chance to move over land. Hurricanes, which occur in the North Atlantic, central North Pacific and Eastern North Pacific Oceans, have caused the most damage to the US of all natural disasters, averaging around US$23 billion per event. They're also responsible for the most weather-caused fatalities, with 7,211 lives lost since 1980.

"This is the only long-term solution," said Koki Mashita, co-founder of Aeolus. "In many parts around the world, the intensification of these events due to climate change has already led to significant increases in insurance premiums. As we look into the next few decades, properties will truly become uninsurable and we will need to intervene."

So why do the researchers and Aeolus believe this new approach will succeed where others – including the ambitious 21-year government initiative Project Stormfury – have failed? The key is understanding the physics of storm formation and knowing what kind of particle can be introduced to disrupt its surge. Sure, it sounds simple, but we're yet to see a viable defense system that could protect at-risk communities.

"In this study, we used computer models to investigate how adding aerosols of different sizes affects the early development of a TC," the researchers wrote. "We found that fine (0.05-1 μm in diameter) and ultrafine (<0.05 μm) aerosols initially strengthen the storm by increasing heat released from water vapor condensing, freezing, and ice growth in the clouds. However, this also creates a stronger 'cold pool' (a region of cooled air near the surface), which reduces energy inflow into the storm, eventually weakening it."