...1785... A four day rain swelled the Merrimack River in New Hampshire and Massachusetts to the greatest height of record causing extensive damage to bridges and mills.
...1878... A hurricane produced widespread damage across North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. At Philadelphia PA, the hurricane was the worst of record.
...1937... A snow squall in Buffalo NY tied up traffic in six inches of slush.
...1938... The remnants of tropical storm # 7 passed by Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Newport, Rhode Island received 2.18 inches of rain. (24th-25th)
...1947... The Bar Harbor holocaust occurred in Maine when forest fires consumed homes and a medical research institute. The fires claimed 17 lives, and caused thirty million dollars damage.
...1951... Sacramento CA reported a barometric pressure of 29.42 inches, to establish a record low for October.
...1955... A high wind gust of 53 miles per hour was recorded at Newport, Rhode Island.
...1969... Unseasonably cold air gripped the northeastern U.S. Lows of 10 degrees at Concord NH and 6 degrees at Albany NY established October records. The low temperature at Newport, Rhode Island dipped to 26 degrees, setting a record for the date.
...1987... Snow fell across northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin overnight, with five inches reported at Poplar Lake MN and Gunflint Trail MN. Thunderstorm rains caused flash flooding in south central Arizona, with street flooding reported around Las Vegas NV. Strong northwesterly winds gusting to 50 mph downed some trees and power lines in western Pennsylvania and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.
...1988... Strong winds circulating around a deep low pressure centered produced snow squalls in the Great Lakes Region, with six inches reported at Ironwood MI. Wind gusts to 80 mph were reported at State College PA.
...1989... A storm in the western U.S. produced up to three feet of snow in the mountains around Lake Tahoe, with 21 inches reported at Donner Summit. Thunderstorms in northern California produced 3.36 inches of rain at Redding to establish a 24 hour record for October, and bring their rainfall total for the month to a record 5.11 inches. Chiefly "Indian Summer" type weather prevailed across the rest of the nation. Fifteen cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date as readings soared into the 70s and 80s. Record highs included 74 degrees at International Falls MN, and 86 degrees at Yankton SD.
...1992... Thunderstorms associated with a low pressure system spawned 3 tornadoes in the Flagstaff, Arizona area. One tornado raced 5 miles through Sunset Crater National Monument, downing 260 acres of ponderosa pine. The Weather Service Office at Pullman Airport had golf ball size hail and was drenched with 1.91 inches of rain.
...1997... A blizzard raged over eastern Colorado on this day and continued into the 25th. Palmer Lake recorded 52 inches of snow. Denver measured 21.9 inches and Colorado Springs was buried under 19.9 inches. Sustained winds of 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph whipped the snow into 15 foot drifts. 10 people lost their lives as a result of the storm.
...2005... Hurricane Wilma reached the U.S. coastline near Everglades City in Florida with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph. The hurricane accelerated across south Florida and the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area, exiting the coast later the same day. There were 10 fatalities in Florida, and nearly 6 million people lost power, the most widespread power outage in Florida history. Preliminary estimates of insured losses in Florida were over $6 billion, while uninsured losses were over $12 billion.