Polk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2024 | 191 hrs | 209,976 (58%) | Hurricane Milton |
| Sep 28, 2022 | 162 hrs | 203,470 (56%) | Hurricane Ian |
| Sep 10, 2017 | 266 hrs | 130,427 (36%) | Hurricane Irma |
| Jul 20, 2023 | <1 hr | 21,061 (6%) | Unnamed event |
| Oct 19, 2020 | 2 hrs | 16,293 (4%) | Unnamed event |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Polk County, Florida that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Polk County recorded 3,630 distinct power outage events, averaging 1.8 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Polk County started October 9, 2024 (Hurricane Milton), lasting 191 hours and leaving up to 209,976 customers without power (58% of the county) at its peak.
June has historically been the worst month for outages in Polk County, with 494 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Polk County earns a Reliability Grade of F, placing it in the 17th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Florida
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Polk County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Gulf County | F | 16th |
| Putnam County | F | 19th |
| Marion County | F | 19th |
| Flagler County | F | 20th |
| Leon County | F | 14th |
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 Polk County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Polk County recorded 3,630 outage events, averaging 1.8 hours each.
What is Polk County's reliability grade?
Polk County has a Reliability Grade of F, in the 17th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Polk County?
The worst outage on record started October 9, 2024 (Hurricane Milton), lasting 191 hours and affecting up to 209,976 customers.