San Diego 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 2, 2020 | 86 hrs | 74,451 (5%) | High Wind |
| Sep 20, 2015 | 2 hrs | 68,549 (5%) | Flash Flood |
| Oct 4, 2022 | 4 hrs | 62,342 (5%) | Hail |
| Dec 9, 2024 | 21 hrs | 51,858 (4%) | Dense Fog |
| Dec 10, 2024 | 31 hrs | 51,520 (4%) | Dense Fog |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for San Diego County, California that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, San Diego County recorded 8,447 distinct power outage events, averaging 4.3 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in San Diego County started December 2, 2020 (High Wind), lasting 86 hours and leaving up to 74,451 customers without power (5% of the county) at its peak.
August has historically been the worst month for outages in San Diego County, with 779 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, San Diego County earns a Reliability Grade of B, placing it in the 61st percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in California
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to San Diego County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Kern County | B | 60th |
| Sacramento County | C | 59th |
| Contra Costa County | C | 59th |
| Sutter County | B | 64th |
| Orange County | B | 65th |
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 San Diego County?
Between 2014 and 2025, San Diego County recorded 8,447 outage events, averaging 4.3 hours each.
What is San Diego County's reliability grade?
San Diego County has a Reliability Grade of B, in the 61st national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in San Diego County?
The worst outage on record started December 2, 2020 (High Wind), lasting 86 hours and affecting up to 74,451 customers.