Typhoon Kate

Pacific typhoon in 1970

Typhoon Kate, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Titang, was the second of two super typhoons to strike the Philippines within a week in October 1970, the first being Super Typhoon Joan. As a result, Kate produced heavy damage and over 631 casualties. At the time, Kate was one of the deadliest typhoons to strike the Philippines.

Super Typhoon Kate was first identified by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) on October 7, 1970, and by the Japan Meteorological Agency on October 9, 1970 as a tropical disturbance near the Marshall Islands. The system tracked in a general westward direction and relocated itself further south during this period in response to Typhoon Joan wake to the northwest. By October 13, convection sharply increased as the system entered a region of strong diffluence. The following day, the disturbance featured a marked increase in organization as thunderstorms continued to consolidate around the center of circulation. During the afternoon of October 15, reconnaissance aircraft reached the storm and reported that it was already nearing typhoon status. Sustained winds were measured at along with a barometric pressure of 985 mbar (hPa; 29.12 inHg). Additionally, the storm had begun developing an eyewall, an indication that the system was likely to intensify further. Over the following three days, the storm continued its westward track while gaining strength. Throughout the day on October 16, Kate underwent a period of rapid intensification. During this time, sustained winds increased from , ranking Kate as a Category 4 typhoon on the modern day Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Early on October 17, reconnaissance planes flown into the typhoon measured the eye to be in diameter. Although winds were still increasing, the lowest pressure recorded in relation to Kate was measured at this time at 940 mbar (hPa; 27.7 inHg). As the typhoon neared the southeastern Philippine island of Mindanao on October 18, it further intensified. Just before making landfall roughly south of Davao City in the Davao Region, Kate attained its peak winds of , classifying it as a super typhoon according to the JTWC. Gradual weakening took place over the following several days as Kate slowly neared the Indochina coastline. By October 24, winds had decreased below and the eye became asymmetrical and partially open in the northeast quadrant. On October 25, the typhoon further weakened to a tropical storm just off the coast of Vietnam. Later that day, the system made its final landfall near Da Nang, Vietnam with winds of The large loss of life from the typhoon is thought to be related to the lack of tropical cyclone experience for residents in southern Mindanao. Within a day of the storm's passage, the death toll had reached 13 with 29 others missing and was expected to increase.

Due to the threat of the typhoon, United States military officials prompted the evacuation of a military hospital near Da Nang and the relocation of aircraft. The level of fighting during Kate's passage was regarded as one of the lowest during the Vietnam War as most tactical bombing missions were canceled. During the 24 hours in which the storm affected Vietnam, the United States launched 46 air bombings, the fewest in over two years. Although damage estimates and reports of deaths are scarce out of Vietnam, floodwaters, considered the worst since 1964, affected an area nearly 140 square miles (363 km2) south of Da Nang. Roughly 900 people were evacuated the first day after Kate by Marine Aircraft Group 16, and over 9,000 South Vietnamese were rescued by the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, in Vietnam to fight the Vietnam War.