Tracking data from meteorological agencies disagree whether the systems were a single tropical cyclone or two distinct tropical cyclones that occurred in quick succession, named separately by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) as Louise and Marge (and by the Philippine Weather Bureau as Ining and Liling).

Intensification continued, and Louise's winds later reached Category 5 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson scale at 7.3°N, closer to the equator than any other storm of such strength in the Northern Hemisphere on record.

The storm's one-minute sustained winds topped out at 305 km/h (190 mph) before making landfall on Surigao del Sur on November 18.

Agencies that consider Louise and Marge to be the same storm indicate that the typhoon weakened over the Philippines and tracked northwest before making a counterclockwise arc across Luzon and the eastern South China Sea.

Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal stated that he had never "seen a more comprehensive devastation of any one province" following an aerial survey of Surigao del Norte.

[1][8]: 78  Tracking west-northwest, the typhoon passed 22 km (14 mi) south of Angaur on November 16, with its one-minute sustained winds reaching 185 km/h (115 mph) during the close passage according to the JTWC.

[9][1][8]: 78  Intensification continued, and Louise attained its peak intensity on November 18 with one-minute maximum sustained winds of 305 km/h (190 mph) according to the JTWC.

This system then emerged into the South China Sea, where it moved erratically over a small area and attained peak one-minute sustained winds of 100 km/h (62 mph) on November 22 before dissipating the next day.

[12] Guam initiated relief efforts shortly after the typhoon's passage of Palau,[16] leading to a joint effort between the Guam government, Commander Naval Forces Marianas, the American Red Cross, and the United States Coast Guard to deliver emergency supplies to the affected areas, including building materials, clothing, and vaccines.

[19] In its summary of 1964 typhoons published in the annual Climatological Data report, the United States Weather Bureau wrote that Louise "was one of the most destructive storms to hit the central Philippines in years."

[27] Winds as high as 260 km/h (160 mph) battered the provinces of Agusan, Bohol, Leyte, Surigao del Norte, and Negros Island.

[34] A village leader in Negros Island gave of the following description of the destruction to a Philippine news service, as reported by The Canadian Press:[34] It was a pathetic sight as hysterical parents lost all their children.

[...] Drowning victims shouting for help, others clinging to rooftops as their houses were carried away by rampaging floodwaters or smashed by logs ...Floods and landslides damaged several bridges and public buildings in Agusan Province.

[37] Forty-six people were rescued after a freighter and a salvage tug were forced into a reef by the typhoon's winds off Labuan in Malaysia.

[8][38] A state of calamity was declared for Surigao del Norte, accompanied by bans of hoarding and price speculation in the disaster zones.

[34][39] Colonel Godofredo Mendoza directed the deployment of all available Philippine Constabulary personnel in the province to assist in disaster relief.

[40] A government team was also mobilized to Surigao by President Diosdado Macapagal, as well as members of the Cabinet of the Philippines to survey the damage.

[23] In June 1966, the Congress of the Philippines authorized ₱3.4 million to be distributed annually through fiscal year 1969-70 for Surigao del Norte and its municipalities.