Merced 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2022 | 5 hrs | 19,037 (23%) | Drought |
| Mar 13, 2025 | 2 hrs | 17,949 (22%) | High Wind |
| Jan 10, 2020 | 3 hrs | 14,687 (18%) | Unnamed event |
| Nov 3, 2021 | 3 hrs | 11,688 (14%) | Drought |
| Jan 27, 2021 | 33 hrs | 9,587 (12%) | Flood |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Merced County, California that day.
Over the 8 years from 2018 to 2025, Merced County recorded 962 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.2 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Merced County started December 11, 2022 (Drought), lasting 5 hours and leaving up to 19,037 customers without power (23% of the county) at its peak.
November has historically been the worst month for outages in Merced County, with 91 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Merced County earns a Reliability Grade of B, placing it in the 70th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in California
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Merced County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Fresno County | B | 71st |
| San Francisco County | B | 73rd |
| Alameda County | B | 68th |
| Imperial County | B | 75th |
| Modoc County | B | 75th |
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 Merced County?
Between 2018 and 2025, Merced County recorded 962 outage events, averaging 2.2 hours each.
What is Merced County's reliability grade?
Merced County has a Reliability Grade of B, in the 70th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Merced County?
The worst outage on record started December 11, 2022 (Drought), lasting 5 hours and affecting up to 19,037 customers.