Ioke: Weakening and Recurving

As you can see in the once and future path of Ioke provided by Tropical Storm Risk, this storm has now weakened dramatically as it has tracked further and further north. It's now a Category 2 storm, and no longer an apparent risk to Japan. According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Ioke will swerve sharply to the northeast and undergo transition into an extratropical cyclone. Says JTWC: "THE AVAILABLE DYNAMIC AIDS...ARE IN EXCELLENT AGREEMENT WITH THIS RECURVATURE SCENARIO." So the drama appears to be over now. Nonetheless, Ioke was an amazing, amazing storm. I still don't understand why no one (at least that I have seen) has been able to step forward and clarify whether it did or didn't break the record for the longest lifetime as a Cat 4 or higher. You would think someone would have figured that out by now. I'm also a bit surprised that ...