Cerro Gordo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 2017 | 4 hrs | 16,188 (53%) | Funnel Cloud |
| Dec 16, 2021 | 34 hrs | 13,943 (46%) | Winter Storm |
| May 28, 2018 | 21 hrs | 10,632 (35%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Sep 10, 2015 | <1 hr | 10,571 (35%) | Hail |
| Jul 19, 2017 | 1 hrs | 8,093 (27%) | Funnel Cloud |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Cerro Gordo County, Iowa that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Cerro Gordo County recorded 277 distinct power outage events, averaging 1.9 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Cerro Gordo County started July 19, 2017 (Funnel Cloud), lasting 4 hours and leaving up to 16,188 customers without power (53% of the county) at its peak.
August has historically been the worst month for outages in Cerro Gordo County, with 35 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Cerro Gordo County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 80th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Iowa
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Cerro Gordo County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Clarke County | A | 80th |
| Hamilton County | B | 80th |
| Clayton County | A | 80th |
| Decatur County | B | 79th |
| O'Brien County | B | 79th |
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 Cerro Gordo County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Cerro Gordo County recorded 277 outage events, averaging 1.9 hours each.
What is Cerro Gordo County's reliability grade?
Cerro Gordo County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 80th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Cerro Gordo County?
The worst outage on record started July 19, 2017 (Funnel Cloud), lasting 4 hours and affecting up to 16,188 customers.