Buena Vista 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 2025 | 26 hrs | 6,428 (46%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Jul 29, 2025 | 14 hrs | 3,558 (25%) | Excessive Heat |
| May 30, 2022 | 3 hrs | 2,363 (17%) | Unnamed event |
| Nov 10, 2020 | 4 hrs | 1,936 (14%) | Drought |
| Jan 3, 2023 | 2 hrs | 1,905 (14%) | Drought |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Buena Vista County, Iowa that day.
Over the 11 years from 2015 to 2025, Buena Vista County recorded 164 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.4 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Buena Vista County started April 18, 2025 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 26 hours and leaving up to 6,428 customers without power (46% of the county) at its peak.
June has historically been the worst month for outages in Buena Vista County, with 23 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Buena Vista County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 87th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Iowa
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Buena Vista County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson County | A | 87th |
| Union County | A | 87th |
| Cherokee County | A | 87th |
| Palo Alto County | A | 86th |
| Plymouth County | A | 88th |
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 Buena Vista County?
Between 2015 and 2025, Buena Vista County recorded 164 outage events, averaging 2.4 hours each.
What is Buena Vista County's reliability grade?
Buena Vista County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 87th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Buena Vista County?
The worst outage on record started April 18, 2025 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 26 hours and affecting up to 6,428 customers.