Karen became a tropical storm late on November 7, and within two days it explosively intensified into a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon on the Saffir–Simpson scale.

Once clear of the island, it strengthened slightly and reached its peak intensity on November 13 with winds of 295 km/h (183 mph) and a barometric pressure of 894 mb (hPa; 26.40 inHg).

The storm then gradually turned northward as it weakened, brushing the Ryukyu Islands on November 15, before moving east-northeastward over the open waters of the Pacific.

Karen continued to weaken and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on November 17 before losing its identity the following day between Alaska and Hawaii.

On November 6, 1962, a tropical disturbance was identified over the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles south-southeast of Truk, in the Federated States of Micronesia, by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

Several hours later, a reconnaissance mission into the storm revealed a partially closed 35 km (22 mi) wide eye.

[2][3] At the end of this phase, Karen featured an 8 to 10 km (5 to 6 mi) wide eye and had estimated surface winds of 295 km/h (183 mph), ranking it as a modern-day Category 5-equivalent super typhoon on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale.

[2] Although the storm's winds failed to drop significantly, Karen's central pressure rose to 919 hPa (27.14 inHg) during this phase.

[2] Between 12:10 and 12:35 UTC on November 11, the 14 km (9 mi) wide eye of Karen passed directly over southern Guam.

[4] Continuing west-northwestward, Karen attained its peak intensity on November 13, with a central pressure of 894 hPa (26.40 inHg).

[3] This marked the end of its near-record 4.25-day span as a storm of such intensity, second only to Typhoon Nancy of 1961 which maintained Category 5 status for 5.5 days.

[3] The combination of its rapid movement and entrainment of cold air into the circulation ultimately caused the system to transition into an extratropical cyclone on November 17.

By November 8, three days prior to Karen's arrival, this was raised to level three, prompting residents and military personnel to stock up on supplies.

The highest measured gust was 240 km/h (150 mph) at a United States Navy anemometer on Nimitz Hill just before 11:00 UTC on November 11, roughly two hours before the typhoon's eye passed the station.

[14] Nearly all measurements of rainfall during the typhoon were lost; the only known total is 197 mm (7.76 in) at the Weather Bureau station for the period of November 10–12.

[4] Along the coast, USS Arco was torn from her moorings, severing two anchors and shearing a cleat – tested for over 23,000 and 45,000 kg (50,000 and 100,000 lb), respectively – in the process.

Military structures suffered the most from this phenomenon as the buildings were designed in a way that pressure differences between the interior and exterior would not equal out.

[17] Along the city's main road, Marine Drive, 20 cm (8 in) of sand accumulated from Karen's storm surge.

[20] The Guam portion of the Pacific Scatter Communications System suffered extensive damage, with all four 61 m (200 ft) antennas at Ritidian Point being reduced to a "mess of tangled, twisted steel and cable."

[27] In the Mariana Islands, three ships under the command of Rear Admiral J. S. Coye Jr. sank; however, the crew had been evacuated prior to the storm's arrival.

[28] Brushing the region as a Category 3-equivalent typhoon,[3] Karen caused considerable disruptions to airlines, trains, shipping, and communications.

Despite attempts to escape the storm, large swells exceeding 3.6 m (12 ft) battered the vessels, causing them to pitch up to 59 degrees.

In the immediate aftermath of the typhoon, the Pacific Air Forces were on standby to deliver supplies to Guam, but were delayed by inoperable airstrips.

[17][19] On November 12, Manuel Guerrero made an urgent appeal to the Government of the United States requesting that aid be rushed to the territory.

[35] Initially, residents across Guam were critical of the delayed response by the U.S. government; no aid had arrived within two days of the storm, but unsafe conditions at airports had prevented aircraft from landing.

[8] With the majority of homes destroyed across Guam, structures that remained standing were used as temporary shelter for those left homeless.

Military Air Transport Service planes from the United States mainland, Japan, the Philippines, and Hawaii were called in for the operation.

Additionally, the storm brought about the end of military security on the island, which in turn aided economic growth.

[43] On April 29, 1963, less than half a year after Karen, Typhoon Olive caused extensive damage in Guam and the Mariana Islands.

[46] Due to the severity of damage caused by the typhoon in Guam, the name Karen was retired and replaced with Kim.