Santa Cruz CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Bottom 20% least reliable nationally — frequent and/or long outages. This county ranks in the least reliable fifth of all US counties in our dataset: some combination of frequent outages, long restoration times, or customers affected puts it near the bottom nationally. Backup power is worth prioritizing here rather than treating it as optional.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 2020 | 1 hrs | 89,427 (76%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Dec 16, 2020 | <1 hr | 63,035 (53%) | Coastal Flood |
| Oct 27, 2019 | 3 hrs | 57,052 (48%) | Wildfire |
| Oct 28, 2019 | 7 hrs | 56,643 (48%) | Wildfire |
| Oct 28, 2019 | 4 hrs | 56,627 (48%) | Wildfire |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Santa Cruz County, California that day.
Over the 8 years from 2018 to 2025, Santa Cruz County recorded 1,938 distinct power outage events, averaging 4.2 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Santa Cruz County started August 16, 2020 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 1 hours and leaving up to 89,427 customers without power (76% of the county) at its peak.
October has historically been the worst month for outages in Santa Cruz County, with 210 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Santa Cruz County earns a Reliability Grade of F, placing it in the 6th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in California
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Santa Cruz County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Del Norte County | F | 6th |
| Humboldt County | F | 5th |
| Tehama County | F | 7th |
| Mendocino County | F | 5th |
| Napa County | F | 7th |
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 Cruz County?
Between 2018 and 2025, Santa Cruz County recorded 1,938 outage events, averaging 4.2 hours each.
What is Santa Cruz County's reliability grade?
Santa Cruz County has a Reliability Grade of F, in the 6th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Santa Cruz County?
The worst outage on record started August 16, 2020 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 1 hours and affecting up to 89,427 customers.