A method and apparatus for inhibiting or weakening the development of tropical cyclones by detecting the onset of tropical cyclonic activity using conventional weather tracking techniques and using at least one surface vessel to pump chilled subsurface water to cool the surface water in the area of such activity. The chilled subsurface water is obtained by pumping warm surface water down a thermal conductive chilling pipe to depths where the ambient water is very cold and the chilled water is then pumped through nonthermal conducting piping to the surface of the ocean to cool the surface water. The method and apparatus contemplate moving the surface vessel with the movement of the tropical cyclone as tracked by satellite with the objective that cooling activity is optimally positioned and unrelenting.
