Charles 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2015 | 9 hrs | 22,010 (15%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Jul 29, 2023 | 27 hrs | 20,058 (14%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Jan 3, 2022 | 104 hrs | 17,414 (12%) | Winter Storm |
| Feb 25, 2017 | 4 hrs | 14,108 (10%) | Tornado |
| May 16, 2022 | 6 hrs | 12,812 (9%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Charles County, Maryland that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Charles County recorded 1,041 distinct power outage events, averaging 1.9 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Charles County started June 21, 2015 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 9 hours and leaving up to 22,010 customers without power (15% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Charles County, with 156 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Charles County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 80th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Maryland
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Charles County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's County | A | 81st |
| Queen Anne's County | B | 79th |
| Caroline County | B | 79th |
| Howard County | B | 78th |
| Dorchester County | A | 83rd |
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 Charles County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Charles County recorded 1,041 outage events, averaging 1.9 hours each.
What is Charles County's reliability grade?
Charles County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 80th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Charles County?
The worst outage on record started June 21, 2015 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 9 hours and affecting up to 22,010 customers.