Chowan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2020 | 48 hrs | 3,308 (27%) | Tropical Storm Isaias |
| Jan 9, 2024 | 4 hrs | 2,351 (20%) | Unnamed event |
| Jul 18, 2023 | 7 hrs | 2,338 (19%) | Unnamed event |
| Sep 30, 2022 | <1 hr | 2,327 (19%) | Unnamed event |
| Aug 22, 2019 | 1 hrs | 2,195 (18%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Chowan County, North Carolina that day.
Over the 11 years from 2015 to 2025, Chowan County recorded 121 distinct power outage events, averaging 3.3 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Chowan County started August 4, 2020 (Tropical Storm Isaias), lasting 48 hours and leaving up to 3,308 customers without power (27% of the county) at its peak.
January has historically been the worst month for outages in Chowan County, with 14 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Chowan County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 83rd percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in North Carolina
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Chowan County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wilson County | A | 83rd |
| Pender County | A | 83rd |
| Pitt County | A | 85th |
| Edgecombe County | A | 90th |
| Avery County | B | 75th |
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 Chowan County?
Between 2015 and 2025, Chowan County recorded 121 outage events, averaging 3.3 hours each.
What is Chowan County's reliability grade?
Chowan County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 83rd national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Chowan County?
The worst outage on record started August 4, 2020 (Tropical Storm Isaias), lasting 48 hours and affecting up to 3,308 customers.