Polk County Power Outage History
2014–2025 · Florida
Bottom 20% least reliable nationally — frequent and/or long outages. How grades are calculated
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 hrs | 21,061 (6%) | Unnamed event |
| Oct 19, 2020 | 2 hrs | 16,293 (4%) | Unnamed event |
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).
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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 |
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.