O'Brien CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Better than average — fewer or shorter outages than most counties. This county's outage history is better than the national median: recorded outages are less frequent and/or shorter in duration than a typical US county experienced over the same 12-year period. It isn't in the top tier nationally, but its track record points to lower-than-average outage risk.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 2022 | 3 hrs | 3,169 (47%) | Drought |
| Jul 29, 2025 | 27 hrs | 2,415 (36%) | Excessive Heat |
| Dec 24, 2020 | 1 hrs | 1,608 (24%) | Drought |
| Apr 13, 2018 | 2 hrs | 1,477 (22%) | Winter Weather |
| May 7, 2024 | 5 hrs | 1,314 (19%) | Hail |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for O'Brien County, Iowa that day.
Over the 11 years from 2015 to 2025, O'Brien County recorded 220 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.9 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in O'Brien County started July 5, 2022 (Drought), lasting 3 hours and leaving up to 3,169 customers without power (47% of the county) at its peak.
May has historically been the worst month for outages in O'Brien County, with 26 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, O'Brien County earns a Reliability Grade of B, placing it in the 79th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Iowa
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to O'Brien County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Decatur County | B | 79th |
| Warren County | B | 79th |
| Crawford County | B | 79th |
| Hamilton County | B | 80th |
| Audubon County | B | 78th |
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 O'Brien County?
Between 2015 and 2025, O'Brien County recorded 220 outage events, averaging 2.9 hours each.
What is O'Brien County's reliability grade?
O'Brien County has a Reliability Grade of B, in the 79th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in O'Brien County?
The worst outage on record started July 5, 2022 (Drought), lasting 3 hours and affecting up to 3,169 customers.