Erie CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Average — typical outage frequency and duration nationally. This county sits in the middle of the national distribution — its outage frequency and duration over the past 12 years are close to the nationwide median, neither notably better nor worse than most other US counties. A typical amount of backup-power preparedness is reasonable here.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2018 | <1 hr | 147,874 (28%) | Unnamed event |
| Jan 12, 2020 | 33 hrs | 52,605 (10%) | High Wind |
| Oct 31, 2019 | 72 hrs | 52,555 (10%) | Lakeshore Flood |
| Feb 24, 2019 | 57 hrs | 48,865 (9%) | Lakeshore Flood |
| Dec 11, 2021 | 51 hrs | 46,288 (9%) | High Wind |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Erie County, New York that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Erie County recorded 3,213 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.3 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Erie County started July 10, 2018, lasting less than 1 hour and leaving up to 147,874 customers without power (28% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Erie County, with 371 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Erie County earns a Reliability Grade of C, placing it in the 59th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in New York
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Erie County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Livingston County | C | 60th |
| Niagara County | C | 58th |
| Tompkins County | B | 61st |
| Cortland County | C | 57th |
| Clinton County | C | 55th |
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 Erie County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Erie County recorded 3,213 outage events, averaging 2.3 hours each.
What is Erie County's reliability grade?
Erie County has a Reliability Grade of C, in the 59th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Erie County?
The worst outage on record started July 10, 2018, lasting less than 1 hour and affecting up to 147,874 customers.