Kern CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Better than average — fewer or shorter outages than most counties. This county's outage history is better than the national median: recorded outages are less frequent and/or shorter in duration than a typical US county experienced over the same 12-year period. It isn't in the top tier nationally, but its track record points to lower-than-average outage risk.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 8, 2025 | 4 hrs | 79,327 (20%) | High Wind |
| Nov 5, 2022 | 10 hrs | 50,079 (13%) | Drought |
| Sep 11, 2023 | <1 hr | 41,280 (10%) | Unnamed event |
| Jun 11, 2022 | <1 hr | 29,360 (7%) | Drought |
| Jan 9, 2025 | 2 hrs | 20,062 (5%) | High Wind |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Kern County, California that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Kern County recorded 4,395 distinct power outage events, averaging 3.0 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Kern County started January 8, 2025 (High Wind), lasting 4 hours and leaving up to 79,327 customers without power (20% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Kern County, with 423 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Kern County earns a Reliability Grade of B, placing it in the 60th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in California
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Kern County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego County | B | 61st |
| Sacramento County | C | 59th |
| Contra Costa County | C | 59th |
| Santa Clara County | C | 56th |
| Sutter County | B | 64th |
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 Kern County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Kern County recorded 4,395 outage events, averaging 3.0 hours each.
What is Kern County's reliability grade?
Kern County has a Reliability Grade of B, in the 60th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Kern County?
The worst outage on record started January 8, 2025 (High Wind), lasting 4 hours and affecting up to 79,327 customers.