Chatham CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Bottom 20% least reliable nationally — frequent and/or long outages. This county ranks in the least reliable fifth of all US counties in our dataset: some combination of frequent outages, long restoration times, or customers affected puts it near the bottom nationally. Backup power is worth prioritizing here rather than treating it as optional.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2020 | 23 hrs | 17,868 (38%) | Hurricane Zeta |
| Oct 11, 2018 | 104 hrs | 17,228 (37%) | Tropical Storm Michael |
| Dec 23, 2022 | 29 hrs | 15,523 (33%) | Unnamed event |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 55 hrs | 15,475 (33%) | Hurricane Ian |
| Dec 28, 2018 | 1 hrs | 15,111 (32%) | Unnamed event |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Chatham County, North Carolina that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Chatham County recorded 3,419 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.7 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Chatham County started October 28, 2020 (Hurricane Zeta), lasting 23 hours and leaving up to 17,868 customers without power (38% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Chatham County, with 409 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Chatham County earns a Reliability Grade of F, placing it in the 19th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in North Carolina
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Chatham County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Caswell County | F | 19th |
| Rockingham County | F | 19th |
| Duplin County | D | 20th |
| Scotland County | D | 21st |
| Wilkes County | F | 17th |
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 Chatham County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Chatham County recorded 3,419 outage events, averaging 2.7 hours each.
What is Chatham County's reliability grade?
Chatham County has a Reliability Grade of F, in the 19th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Chatham County?
The worst outage on record started October 28, 2020 (Hurricane Zeta), lasting 23 hours and affecting up to 17,868 customers.