Orange 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 | 18 hrs | 253,449 (20%) | High Wind |
| Jun 8, 2015 | 2 hrs | 124,111 (10%) | Unnamed event |
| Jun 8, 2015 | 2 hrs | 123,126 (10%) | Unnamed event |
| Apr 22, 2021 | 2 hrs | 106,672 (8%) | Unnamed event |
| Apr 22, 2021 | 17 hrs | 106,514 (8%) | Unnamed event |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Orange County, California that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Orange County recorded 8,687 distinct power outage events, averaging 4.3 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Orange County started January 8, 2025 (High Wind), lasting 18 hours and leaving up to 253,449 customers without power (20% of the county) at its peak.
August has historically been the worst month for outages in Orange County, with 844 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Orange County earns a Reliability Grade of B, placing it in the 65th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in California
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Orange County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| San Joaquin County | B | 65th |
| Sutter County | B | 64th |
| Alameda County | B | 68th |
| San Diego County | B | 61st |
| Kern County | B | 60th |
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 Orange County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Orange County recorded 8,687 outage events, averaging 4.3 hours each.
What is Orange County's reliability grade?
Orange County has a Reliability Grade of B, in the 65th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Orange County?
The worst outage on record started January 8, 2025 (High Wind), lasting 18 hours and affecting up to 253,449 customers.