Super 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. Meteorological history 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). At this time cyclone storm was classified as Tropical Storm Kate, the 18th named storm of the 1970 season. 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. As the storm moved over land, the eye abruptly shrank to in diameter but this feature dissipated hours later. Due to the interaction with the mountainous terrain of the Philippines, Kate quickly weakened as it