The table provides information about every hurricane and tropical

Question

The table provides information about every hurricane and tropical storm that occurred over the Atlantic Ocean in the year 2001. Depending on their maximum wind speed, the storms are categorized as either tropical storms, which have comparatively low wind speeds, or Category 1–5 hurricanes, with each increase in category number being accompanied by an increase in wind speed. The table also provides data on duration, wind speed, and minimum air pressure.

Name  
  Duration  (days)  
  Maximum wind  speed (knots)  
  Minimum pressure  (millibars)  
  Category  
 
  Allison 
 2 
 50 
 1002 
 Tropical storm 
 
  Barry 
 5 
 60 
 990 
 Tropical storm 
 
  Chantal 
 8 
 60 
 994 
 Tropical storm 
 
  Dean 
 9 
 60 
 992 
 Tropical storm 
 
  Erin 
 15 
 105 
 969 
 3 
 
  Felix 
 14 
 100 
 965 
 3 
 
  Gabrielle 
 9 
 70 
 975 
 1 
 
  Humberto 
 7 
 90 
 970 
 2 
 
  Iris 
 6 
 125 
 950 
 4 
 
  Jerry 
 6 
 45 
 1003 
 Tropical storm 
 
  Karen 
 4 
 70 
 982 
 1 
 
  Lorenzo 
 5 
 35 
 1007 
 Tropical storm 
 
  Michelle 
 9 
 120 
 933 
 4 
 
  Noel 
 2 
 65 
 984 
 1 
 
  Olga 
 11 
 80 
 973 
 1

For each of the following statements, select Yes if it is true on the basis of the information provided. Otherwise, select No.

Arya_S · Answer

Can someone explain how the threshold for considering a storm a hurricane is less than 65 knots? I understand more than 60 part.
Similar thing with part c. 
What are these thresholds that we are talking of?

BottomJee · Answer

A threshold can be considered an upper limit beyond which Categorization changes for an Atlantic hurricane/ storm.

The  largest  "maximum wind speed" for a Tropical Strom listed = 60 knots
The  smallest  "maximum wind speed" for the next category i.e Category 1 listed = 65 knots

So, the change in category kicks in between 60 and 65 knots, but we are still unaware of exactly at what speed a tropical storm becomes a Category 1 hurricane. It might be the case that a tropical storm becomes a hurricane at 62 knots or at 64 knots.
Hence, the statement "The threshold maximum wind speed for considering an Atlantic storm a hurricane rather than a tropical storm is greater than 60 and less than or equal to 65 knots" is correct.

Aryaa03 · Answer

BottomJee  , Do we have official answer for the third statement "The threshold maximum wind speed for considering an Atlantic storm a Category 4 rather than a Category 3 hurricane is greater than 120 and less than or equal to 125 knots"

As per my reasoning, the answer is No (Which is OA as well) : The lowest reported wind speed for Cat-4 is 120 and maximum is 125 knots but threshold doesn't need to be limited between the two. The max. reported Cat-3 is 100 Knots. Cat-4 threshold may be 101 or 119 or 120. Right ?

BottomJee · Answer

Hi  Aryaa03 
The max. reported CAT -3 is  105  knots, named Erin (Sort the Max wind column). So, the threshold for CAT -4 may start from 106 knots (including). Hence, I believe you are correct in your reasoning and "No" has to be the answer for the last statement, which is the case here.

Currently, I don't have the OA since this question was originally posted a few years back as an IR one but I will post the OA if I come across it in future.

Aryaa03 · Answer

Thank you  BottomJee  for your prompt reply.
Yes, I made a careless mistake while typing I guess.

punwani7 · Answer

How is the second answer yes?

cheshire · Answer

The highest maximum wind speed for a tropical storm is 60 knots and the lowest maximum wind speed for a hurricane is 65 knots. Based on the data, the presented threshold is correct and therefore it's true.

punwani7

How is the second answer yes?

Csanamika · Answer

For B, because of the word equal to 65, shouldn't the answer be No, since equal to 65 would mean hurricane instead of storm. Where am I wrong?

Bunuel · Answer

Because 65 knots is already a hurricane, the cutoff cannot be higher than 65.

And since 60 knots is still a tropical storm, the cutoff must be higher than 60.

So the threshold is  greater than 60 and less than or equal to 65 .

kaustubhkohli12 · Answer

Can someone explain the first one ? The storm with the highest minimum pressure is Lorenzo and it has a duration of 5 and we have a duration of 2 among hurricanes .

Bunuel · Answer

The key phrase is  “among hurricanes.”
 
Lorenzo has the highest minimum pressure overall, but Lorenzo is a  tropical storm , not a hurricane, so it is not considered.

Among hurricanes, Noel has the highest minimum pressure at 984 millibars, and Noel also has the shortest duration at 2 days.

So the statement is  Yes .

egmat · Answer

Hi Csanamika,

I see exactly where the wires are crossing, and it's a subtle one. You're reading "less than or equal to 65" as if it's classifying a  65 -knot storm as a tropical storm. But that's not what the statement is doing - it's describing where the  threshold line  sits.

Let me anchor this to the two values that matter. Sort the  Maximum wind speed  column and look at the boundary:

- Largest tropical-storm speed: Barry / Chantal / Dean at  60  knots
- Smallest hurricane speed: Noel at  65  knots (Category 1)

The "threshold" is the exact cutoff speed at which a storm  becomes  a hurricane. We can't see that precise number in the table - all we can do is trap it between what we observe.

Why greater than 60:  a  60 -knot storm is still a tropical storm, so the cutoff must be above  60 .

Why less than or equal to 65:  here's the key. Noel at  65  knots  is  a hurricane. That's exactly the fact you're pointing to - and it's what forces the threshold to be  at most 65 , not what breaks the statement. If the cutoff were higher than  65 , then Noel at  65  would have to be a tropical storm, which contradicts the table. So the cutoff cannot exceed  65 .

The "= 65" case simply means the threshold could sit  exactly  at  65  - i.e.,  65  knots is the first speed that counts as a hurricane. That's fully consistent with Noel being a hurricane. So the true cutoff lies somewhere in the range  (60, 65] , and statement (b) is  Yes .

Quick way to feel it: think of the threshold as a fence. The tallest storm-side value ( 60 ) sits below the fence; the shortest hurricane-side value ( 65 ) sits  on or above  it. The fence is above  60  and no higher than  65  - which is precisely "greater than  60  and less than or equal to  65 ."

Answer: (a) Yes, (b) Yes, (c) No

Yes	No
		The storm with the highest minimum pressure among hurricanes had the shortest duration among hurricanes.
		The threshold maximum wind speed for considering an Atlantic storm a hurricane rather than a tropical storm is greater than 60 and less than or equal to 65 knots.
		The threshold maximum wind speed for considering an Atlantic storm a Category 4 rather than a Category 3 hurricane is greater than 120 and less than or equal to 125 knots.

The table provides information about every hurricane and tropical

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Name	Duration (days)	Maximum wind speed (knots)	Minimum pressure (millibars)	Category
Allison	2	50	1002	Tropical storm
Barry	5	60	990	Tropical storm
Chantal	8	60	994	Tropical storm
Dean	9	60	992	Tropical storm
Erin	15	105	969	3
Felix	14	100	965	3
Gabrielle	9	70	975	1
Humberto	7	90	970	2
Iris	6	125	950	4
Jerry	6	45	1003	Tropical storm
Karen	4	70	982	1
Lorenzo	5	35	1007	Tropical storm
Michelle	9	120	933	4
Noel	2	65	984	1
Olga	11	80	973	1

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The table provides information about every hurricane and tropical

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