Steele 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2017 | 4 hrs | 700 (4%) | Hail |
| Apr 11, 2019 | 39 hrs | 673 (4%) | Winter Storm |
| Apr 11, 2019 | 3 hrs | 672 (4%) | Winter Storm |
| May 14, 2015 | <1 hr | 651 (4%) | Unnamed event |
| May 14, 2015 | 2 hrs | 651 (4%) | Unnamed event |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Steele County, Minnesota that day.
Over the 11 years from 2015 to 2025, Steele County recorded 40 distinct power outage events, averaging 4.0 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Steele County started May 17, 2017 (Hail), lasting 4 hours and leaving up to 700 customers without power (4% of the county) at its peak.
May has historically been the worst month for outages in Steele County, with 8 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Steele County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 96th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Minnesota
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Steele County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall County | A | 96th |
| Faribault County | A | 97th |
| Watonwan County | A | 97th |
| Clay County | A | 95th |
| Mower County | A | 97th |
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 Steele County?
Between 2015 and 2025, Steele County recorded 40 outage events, averaging 4.0 hours each.
What is Steele County's reliability grade?
Steele County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 96th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Steele County?
The worst outage on record started May 17, 2017 (Hail), lasting 4 hours and affecting up to 700 customers.