Sierra CountyPower Outage History
2015–2025 · New Mexico
Top 20% most reliable nationally — infrequent, short outages.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, 2020 | 2 hrs | 274 (5%) | Drought |
| Sep 6, 2017 | <1 hr | 193 (4%) | Unnamed event |
| Jul 20, 2015 | 2 hrs | 172 (3%) | Unnamed event |
| Sep 17, 2019 | <1 hr | 85 (2%) | Unnamed event |
| Sep 30, 2017 | <1 hr | 82 (2%) | Unnamed event |
Over the 11 years from 2015 to 2025, Sierra County recorded 38 distinct power outage events, averaging 1.4 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Sierra County started December 17, 2020 (Drought), lasting 2 hours and leaving up to 274 customers without power (5% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Sierra County, with 7 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Sierra County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 99th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Sized for Sierra County's outage profile
See more picks in our Best Small Power Stations (Under 1,000Wh) roundup.
Outage-prep kit
See our outage-prep guides.
Similar counties in New Mexico
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Sierra County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Socorro County | A | 98th |
| McKinley County | A | 97th |
| Cibola County | A | 96th |
| Roosevelt County | A | 95th |
| Luna County | A | 89th |
Most reliable counties in New Mexico
The top 3 counties in New Mexico by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra County | A | 99th |
| Socorro County | A | 98th |
| McKinley County | A | 97th |
Least reliable counties in New Mexico
The bottom 3 counties in New Mexico by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Rio Arriba County | D | 22nd |
| Torrance County | D | 36th |
| Catron County | D | 37th |
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 Sierra County?
Between 2015 and 2025, Sierra County recorded 38 outage events, averaging 1.4 hours each.
What is Sierra County's reliability grade?
Sierra County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 99th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Sierra County?
The worst outage on record started December 17, 2020 (Drought), lasting 2 hours and affecting up to 274 customers.