Humboldt CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Bottom 20% least reliable nationally — frequent and/or long outages. This county ranks in the least reliable fifth of all US counties in our dataset: some combination of frequent outages, long restoration times, or customers affected puts it near the bottom nationally. Backup power is worth prioritizing here rather than treating it as optional.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 2022 | 36 hrs | 71,791 (100%) | Unnamed event |
| Oct 27, 2019 | 4 hrs | 70,846 (99%) | Unnamed event |
| Oct 27, 2019 | 2 hrs | 70,846 (99%) | Unnamed event |
| Oct 27, 2019 | 2 hrs | 70,846 (99%) | Unnamed event |
| Oct 27, 2019 | 5 hrs | 70,846 (99%) | Unnamed event |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Humboldt County, California that day.
Over the 8 years from 2018 to 2025, Humboldt County recorded 1,495 distinct power outage events, averaging 5.0 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Humboldt County started December 20, 2022, lasting 36 hours and leaving up to 71,791 customers without power (100% of the county) at its peak.
January has historically been the worst month for outages in Humboldt County, with 153 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Humboldt County earns a Reliability Grade of F, placing it in the 5th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in California
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Humboldt County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Mendocino County | F | 5th |
| Del Norte County | F | 6th |
| Santa Cruz County | F | 6th |
| Tehama County | F | 7th |
| Napa County | F | 7th |
Most reliable counties nationally
The top 3 counties nationally by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | State | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | South Dakota | A | 100th |
| Clearwater County | Minnesota | A | 99th |
| Limestone County | Alabama | A | 99th |
Least reliable counties nationally
The bottom 3 counties nationally by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | State | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | West Virginia | F | 0th |
| Lincoln County | West Virginia | F | 0th |
| Cameron Parish | Louisiana | F | 0th |
FAQ
How often does power go out in Humboldt County?
Between 2018 and 2025, Humboldt County recorded 1,495 outage events, averaging 5.0 hours each.
What is Humboldt County's reliability grade?
Humboldt County has a Reliability Grade of F, in the 5th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Humboldt County?
The worst outage on record started December 20, 2022, lasting 36 hours and affecting up to 71,791 customers.