Powder River CountyPower Outage History
2016–2025 · Montana
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 12, 2022 | 4 hrs | 59 (8%) | Hail |
| Nov 13, 2025 | 5 hrs | 59 (8%) | Unnamed event |
| Aug 26, 2024 | 4 hrs | 34 (5%) | Wildfire |
| Jul 13, 2017 | 5 hrs | 33 (4%) | Unnamed event |
| Jul 16, 2016 | 2 hrs | 33 (4%) | Hail |
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, Powder River County recorded 60 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.7 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Powder River County started June 12, 2022 (Hail), lasting 4 hours and leaving up to 59 customers without power (8% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Powder River County, with 11 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Powder River County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 95th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Sized for Powder River County's outage profile
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Read our mission →Similar counties in Montana
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Powder River County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt County | A | 94th |
| Fallon County | A | 94th |
| Big Horn County | A | 94th |
| Dawson County | A | 93rd |
| Gallatin County | A | 92nd |
Most reliable counties in Montana
The top 3 counties in Montana by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Powder River County | A | 95th |
| Roosevelt County | A | 94th |
| Fallon County | A | 94th |
Least reliable counties in Montana
The bottom 3 counties in Montana by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | F | 14th |
| Sanders County | D | 20th |
| Madison County | D | 31st |
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 Powder River County?
Between 2016 and 2025, Powder River County recorded 60 outage events, averaging 2.7 hours each.
What is Powder River County's reliability grade?
Powder River County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 95th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Powder River County?
The worst outage on record started June 12, 2022 (Hail), lasting 4 hours and affecting up to 59 customers.