DeKalb CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Top 20% most reliable nationally — infrequent, short outages. This county ranks in the most reliable fifth of all US counties in our dataset, based on 12 years of real DOE outage records: outages happen less often here, and when they do occur they tend to be resolved quickly compared to the rest of the country. Baseline outage risk is low, though a severe local storm can still occasionally cause a longer-than-usual outage regardless of the long-term track record.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2020 | 13 hrs | 10,587 (13%) | Tornado |
| Feb 19, 2016 | 6 hrs | 7,097 (9%) | Unnamed event |
| Aug 11, 2021 | 33 hrs | 6,262 (8%) | Tornado |
| Apr 10, 2015 | 3 hrs | 4,810 (6%) | Tornado |
| Jun 14, 2017 | 24 hrs | 4,520 (6%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for DeKalb County, Illinois that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, DeKalb County recorded 369 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.7 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in DeKalb County started August 10, 2020 (Tornado), lasting 13 hours and leaving up to 10,587 customers without power (13% of the county) at its peak.
June has historically been the worst month for outages in DeKalb County, with 45 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, DeKalb County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 89th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Illinois
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to DeKalb County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Effingham County | A | 89th |
| White County | A | 88th |
| Wayne County | A | 88th |
| Schuyler County | A | 91st |
| Edwards County | A | 91st |
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 DeKalb County?
Between 2014 and 2025, DeKalb County recorded 369 outage events, averaging 2.7 hours each.
What is DeKalb County's reliability grade?
DeKalb County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 89th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in DeKalb County?
The worst outage on record started August 10, 2020 (Tornado), lasting 13 hours and affecting up to 10,587 customers.