The twenty-sixth named storm of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season, Kai-tak started as a tropical depression near Palau on December 11.

Due to its slow motion, Kai-tak made landfall in Samar on December 16 and traversed the Philippine Islands.

[1] On December 10, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began to monitor a low-pressure area located about 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the east of Palau, with the storm growing because of warm seas and favorable environment.

[2] The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classified the system as a weak tropical depression the next day, and began issuing advisories at 00:00 UTC on December 12, reporting the storm as stationary.

[3] 15 hours later, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) declared that the system had intensified into a tropical depression and it was given the local name Urduja.

[5] The system barely moved in the following days because of a weak steering current between a subtropical ridge over the western Pacific and another over the Bay of Bengal, with a third to its south.

[8] The system was poorly organized with loose banding and was located in an area of very low wind shear.

[18] Seven hours later, the system had undergone deep convective diurnal maximum, covering the low-level circulation center.

[20] The same day, the storm weakened, turning into a tropical depression, and made landfall in San Policarpo, Eastern Samar at approximately 13:30 PHT[b] (5:30 UTC) on December 16.

[23] Despite the weakening, the storm affected Malaysia and Brunei before dying out in the South China Sea on December 23.

[15][24][25] On December 12, cloudy skies and thunderstorms were predicted in Mindanao, while other closer regions had a possibility of flash floods and landslides.

[27][28] Residents were already advised to prepare against flooding as the moderate to heavy rainfall area was extended to a 500 km (310 mi) diameter.

On December 15, PAGASA announced the possibility of a storm surge of 4.1–14 metres (4.5–15.3 yards) in Samar.

[33] Shortly before landfall, Brunei's government issued a red weather alert, warning residents about the risk of flooding.

[35] The government later issued warnings to eight states, specifically Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, Perak, Perlis, Kedah, Penang Island, and Terengganu.

[30] The storm affected the town of San Policarpo, Eastern Samar, prompting an immediate response by the Philippine Red Cross.

[44] The city of Tacloban was placed under a state of calamity as decided by their local council as 80 of the 130 villages were flooded.

To the residents of this city, Pls [sic] lend some of your valuable time to help our fellow Ormocanon".

[48] Later, other southern provinces were affected, including Cagayan de Oro, Lanao del Sur and Norte, and parts of the Zamboanga Peninsula.

[34] On December 19, Kai-tak entered the South China sea, bringing additional rainfall in the eastern portion of Malaysia.

[57] Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah provided assistance and donations to flood affected areas, including Temburong District.

The local Municipal Social Welfare and Development Offices (MSWD) offered 40 people to help aid projects and other needs.

[65] Because of the storm, China gave Php5 million (US$100 thousand) to the Philippines to help rebuilding efforts.

In total, 900 kits, 57 tents, 1,914 solar lights, 1,800 mosquito nets, 1,795 water carriers, and 1,800 blankets were given to the beneficiaries.

[69] Due to the damage and high death toll in Visayas, the name Kai-tak was officially retired during the 50th annual session of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee in February 2018.