Maybe it is unwise to ask general assignment reporters to teach science to people who think "warmer times bring less hurricanes".  Rather than offer my own recollections from highschool hydrology, here's a more credible explanation scalped from Guardian: "Hurricanes are a type of storm known as a tropical cyclone, which build from warm, moist air over the oceans. Water evaporates, leaving behind a region of low pressure, which is then filled by surrounding air, explains Adrian Champion, an expert in climate systems from the University of Exeter. This causes more “new” warm air to rise into the cyclone, he explains. As this warm, moist air cools, it forms clouds, releasing energy back into the cyclone, helping it to develop."