McDonald 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2025 | 54 hrs | 5,955 (3%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Aug 17, 2024 | 46 hrs | 5,323 (3%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Aug 12, 2021 | 3 hrs | 2,707 (1%) | Unnamed event |
| Apr 5, 2017 | 3 hrs | 2,089 (1%) | Tornado |
| Apr 29, 2017 | 1 hrs | 2,013 (1%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for McDonald County, Missouri that day.
Over the 11 years from 2015 to 2025, McDonald County recorded 130 distinct power outage events, averaging 3.6 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in McDonald County started April 29, 2025 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 54 hours and leaving up to 5,955 customers without power (3% of the county) at its peak.
June has historically been the worst month for outages in McDonald County, with 20 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, McDonald County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 97th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Missouri
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to McDonald County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer County | A | 98th |
| Boone County | A | 97th |
| Marion County | A | 96th |
| Putnam County | A | 96th |
| Callaway County | A | 95th |
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 McDonald County?
Between 2015 and 2025, McDonald County recorded 130 outage events, averaging 3.6 hours each.
What is McDonald County's reliability grade?
McDonald County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 97th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in McDonald County?
The worst outage on record started April 29, 2025 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 54 hours and affecting up to 5,955 customers.