1966 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Kit 1966
Typhoon Kit stayed offshore as it passed Japan in June 1966, yet its rain caused widespread flooding and landslides. The storm disrupted railways and Tokyo's subway system after an exceptionally intense phase over the Philippine Sea.
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196 mph
Jun 26, 1966 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A contracting eye and falling pressure
Kit developed near Chuuk and moved west before turning northwest. It became a typhoon late on 23 June. During rapid intensification on 24 and 25 June, its eye contracted and its central pressure fell sharply.
The archive records peak one-minute winds of 170 kt and a minimum pressure of 880 hPa on 26 June. Kit then weakened while accelerating north-northeast. On 28 June, it passed about 155 km east of Tokyo, retaining typhoon strength without making a recorded landfall.
Flooding across eastern Japan
Torrential rain flooded more than 128,000 homes in Japan, with 433 reported collapsed. Landslides blocked or destroyed roads, while the Tokyo–Osaka railway was interrupted for 12 hours. Floodwater also shut down Tokyo's subway system, stranding large numbers of commuters.
Japan reported 64 deaths and 19 people missing. A separate accident during recovery killed 25 workers repairing an irrigation tunnel near Utsunomiya: exhaust from a portable generator caused carbon monoxide poisoning.
Kit became extratropical south of Hokkaido on 29 June. Its archived continuation heads east across the northern Pacific and ends near the International Date Line on 3 July.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Kit in brief
What was Typhoon Kit's highest wind speed?
196 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Jun 26, 1966, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Kit?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Jun 25, 1966, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Kit's lowest pressure?
880 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Jun 26, 1966, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Kit occur?
The archived track runs from Jun 20, 1966, 12:00 AM UTC to Jul 3, 1966, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Jun 20, 1966, 06:00 AM UTC to Jun 29, 1966, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Kit form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1966 season. Its first archived position is 8.7°N, 150.8°E on Jun 20, 1966, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Kit make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Kit's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology