eli5 Why cant tropical storms form over land when it’s really humid outside?

Question

I understand that tropical storms need moist warm air to form but on a really hot humid day wouldn’t the moist air already be over the land?Like when humidity is 80%+ over land, why couldn’t the tropical storm just use that humidity to form?

In: Other

Answer 1

Evaporating water from oceans provides a lot of the energy in play. When a storm goes over land, it is cut off from the water supply. It is why storms that cross over Florida lose strength, and then begin to regain strength after getting out over water again.