Professor Kerry Emanuel, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), warned of the extreme power residents in the US and Caribbean islands face as a result of Hurricane Irma.
He calculated the power generated by Hurricane Irma is the equivalent to seven trillion watts.
Prof Emanuel warned: “People who are living (in the Florida Keys) or have property there are very scared, and they should be.”
According to Prof Emanuel, this is twice the power of all of the bombs dropped during World War Two.
In the most devastating war in human history, 30,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped.
In the US, Florida will bare the brunt of the force of Hurricane Irma as it sweeps across the Atlantic Ocean.
Irma is expected to hit Florida on Sunday, September 10.
The hurricane, which is one of the most powerful on record as it generates wind speeds in excess of 180mph, devastated the Caribbean islands, claiming the lives of at least 10 people.
Authorities in Florida are evacuating the south eastern state as Hurricane Irma barrels towards it.
City of Miami manager Daniel J Alfonso said in a statement: “We urge all our residents to take warnings and evacuation orders seriously.
“We prepare for the worst and pray for the best.”
Monroe County Emergency Operations Center Director Martin Senterfitt warned: “For the Florida Keys, if you were to create the worst case scenario that is what we are looking at.”
When the storm rolled across the island of Barbuda, virtually every building was damaged and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said almost 60 per cent of the 1,400 residents on Barbuda had been left homeless.