The post-Harvey rebound fueled industrial production its biggest one-month rise in industrial production since April as factories made up for weeks in August and September when they sat idle as a result of the storm, according to the Federal Reserve report.
In addition, the hit to output in August and September appeared less severe than originally reported.
Meanwhile, industrial capacity in use last month hit its highest level in more than two years.
Industrial production rose 0.9 percent in October from September, nearly twice what economists were expecting, and after a gain of 0.4 percent in the prior month.
The lion's share of the gain was attributed to the storm-related rebound at oil refineries, petrochemical plants and plastic resin facilities in Southeast Texas, according to the Fed.
Excluding the effects of the storm, industrial output rose by only 0.3 percent.
Economists predict the final quarter of 2017 will see a bump in economic activity as millions of people in Florida and Texas resume work and continue rebuilding, and as Gulf Coast industry rattles to life after the back-to-back hurricanes in the late summer.
Upward revisions for July through September showed output lost only 0.3 percent, rather than the 1.5 percent drop the Fed had previously reported.
Industrial capacity in use rose in October to 77 percent, the highest since April, better than a consensus analyst forecast but still 2.9 percentage points below the long-run historical average since 1972.