Santa Clara CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Average — typical outage frequency and duration nationally. This county sits in the middle of the national distribution — its outage frequency and duration over the past 12 years are close to the nationwide median, neither notably better nor worse than most other US counties. A typical amount of backup-power preparedness is reasonable here.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 4, 2024 | 137 hrs | 145,840 (17%) | Strong Wind |
| Mar 14, 2023 | 53 hrs | 138,982 (16%) | High Wind |
| Jan 10, 2023 | 6 hrs | 68,962 (8%) | Strong Wind |
| Sep 4, 2022 | 117 hrs | 50,309 (6%) | Heat |
| Mar 21, 2023 | 23 hrs | 43,062 (5%) | Strong Wind |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Santa Clara County, California that day.
Over the 11 years from 2015 to 2025, Santa Clara County recorded 5,311 distinct power outage events, averaging 3.7 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Santa Clara County started February 4, 2024 (Strong Wind), lasting 137 hours and leaving up to 145,840 customers without power (17% of the county) at its peak.
October has historically been the worst month for outages in Santa Clara County, with 522 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Santa Clara County earns a Reliability Grade of C, placing it in the 56th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in California
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Santa Clara County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Tulare County | C | 56th |
| Contra Costa County | C | 59th |
| Sacramento County | C | 59th |
| Kern County | B | 60th |
| San Diego County | B | 61st |
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 Santa Clara County?
Between 2015 and 2025, Santa Clara County recorded 5,311 outage events, averaging 3.7 hours each.
What is Santa Clara County's reliability grade?
Santa Clara County has a Reliability Grade of C, in the 56th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Santa Clara County?
The worst outage on record started February 4, 2024 (Strong Wind), lasting 137 hours and affecting up to 145,840 customers.