10/1
1977: After yesterday's monthly record high of 108 degrees, Wichita Falls, Texas, cooled today with a high of 87.
10/2
1989: Northeastern Georgia received up to 10" of rain from thunderstorms, with Athens, GA reporting 6" in 24 hours.
10/3
1988 (2nd-3rd): 7.87" of rain fell on Nimes, France in 3 hours, causing floods and mudslides. $634 million damage.
10/4
1986: During heavy rains, a motorist was killed near Rankin, Texas after her car was swept over a mile through rushing water.
10/5
1917: Sentinel, Arizona established an October record for the nation when its high soared to 116 degrees.
10/6 
1981: A Fokker F-28 aircraft crashed in Holland after its starboard wing was ripped away by a funnel cloud.  
10/7
1981: Seattle Washington, "the city that rains 3/4 of the year," received a record 4" rainfall in 24 hours.
10/8
1871: Drought and wind fueled the great Chicago fire, the Peshtigo horror, and the Michigan fire holocaust. 1500 died. 
10/9
1903: 11.17" of rain in 24 hours helped New York City establish a state record. 
10/10
1983: Lightning struck a CB antenna on a moving car in Iowa and formed a fireball in the front seat as the radio burned.
10/11
1906: Today's World Series game between the Cubs and White Sox saw a high of 43 degrees, warming from the previous day's 32.
10/12
1918: Forest fires burned in MN, killing 600.  Smoke with a burnt wood smell spread to Albany, NY and Washington, DC in 24 hours.   
10/13
1986: 4 tornadoes hit southeastern Virginia in late evening, causing $3 million in damage. 
10/14
1984: The 7th day of 8 days of dense fog contributed to a 118 vehicle pile-up on Interstate 94, outside of Milwaukee, WI.
10/15
1954: Hurricane Hazel hit the Carolina coastline, demolishing every pier along a 170 mile stretch and 1500 homes inland. 
10/16  
1937: A pre-winter storm dumped 10" of snow in Minnesota and Iowa.  
10/17
1971: Residents of Wray, Colorado saw great balls of fire just ahead of a tornado as it moved down the main street of town. 
10/18
1911: The Athletics and NY Giants waited out a 6-day rain delay, the longest rain delay in the history of the World Series.
10/19
1961: Early heavy snow weighed down tree leaves in WV, resulting in the worst forest disaster since the fires of 1952-1953.  
10/20
1991: Strong Diablo winds fanned a small brush fire into an inferno that destroyed over 3300 homes in Oakland and Berkeley.
10/21
1957: An unusual October storm hit southern CA, featuring thunderstorms, hail in 18" drifts and waterspouts off Oceanside. 
10/22
1985: A guest on the top floor of a Seattle hotel was seriously injured while talking on the phone during a lightning storm. 
10/23
1843: Indian summer was cut short by cold and snow that encouraged sleighing from the Poconos to Vermont.
10/24
1973 (23rd-24th): Smoke from garbage dump & swamp fires combined with moist air to produce dense fog along the NJ Turnpike.
10/25
1981: A tornado traveled 6 miles and caused $2 million damage in Bountstown, FL.  Local radar did not even detect severe weather.
10/26   
1978: Supertyphoon Rita hit Luzon, Philippines, killing 337, destroying 50,000 homes and displacing 1.5 million people.
10/27
1972: A sleeping couple in FL were awakened by rain after a tornado removed the roof. They escaped as the house blew away. 
10/28
1988: The temperature at Estes Park, CO dropped to 15 degrees before soaring 30 degrees in less than 30 minutes. 
10/29
1987: Severe thunderstorms in AZ produced 86 mph wind gusts, baseball size hail, 1" of rain in 15 min. & over $2.5 million damage. 
10/30
1947: A 5-day nightmare of smog trapped over Donora, PA that killed 20 persons and left over 2000 sick finally came to an end.    
10/31
1846: The Donner Pass Tragedy began. 87 pioneers in the Sierra Nevada Mountains were trapped by early snows. 47 survived.