Dubuque 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 12, 2017 | 8 hrs | 9,599 (17%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Jun 30, 2019 | 22 hrs | 8,367 (14%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Jul 15, 2024 | 22 hrs | 7,974 (14%) | Flood |
| Jul 12, 2017 | 13 hrs | 7,770 (13%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Jun 24, 2016 | 4 hrs | 6,156 (11%) | Unnamed event |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Dubuque County, Iowa that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Dubuque County recorded 307 distinct power outage events, averaging 1.6 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Dubuque County started July 12, 2017 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 8 hours and leaving up to 9,599 customers without power (17% of the county) at its peak.
June has historically been the worst month for outages in Dubuque County, with 48 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Dubuque County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 91st percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Iowa
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Dubuque County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Muscatine County | A | 92nd |
| Adair County | A | 90th |
| Cass County | A | 89th |
| Marion County | A | 89th |
| Carroll 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 Dubuque County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Dubuque County recorded 307 outage events, averaging 1.6 hours each.
What is Dubuque County's reliability grade?
Dubuque County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 91st national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Dubuque County?
The worst outage on record started July 12, 2017 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 8 hours and affecting up to 9,599 customers.