Lee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26, 2017 | 7 hrs | 19,796 (37%) | Unnamed event |
| Oct 8, 2016 | 98 hrs | 13,468 (25%) | Hurricane Matthew |
| Apr 11, 2024 | 15 hrs | 11,501 (22%) | Unnamed event |
| Sep 15, 2018 | 30 hrs | 9,775 (18%) | Hurricane Florence |
| Apr 13, 2020 | 33 hrs | 8,972 (17%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Lee County, North Carolina that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Lee County recorded 1,210 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.6 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Lee County started January 26, 2017, lasting 7 hours and leaving up to 19,796 customers without power (37% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Lee County, with 159 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Lee County earns a Reliability Grade of C, placing it in the 41st percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in North Carolina
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Lee County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Gates County | C | 41st |
| Alamance County | C | 41st |
| Gaston County | C | 41st |
| Carteret County | C | 40th |
| Bertie County | C | 42nd |
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 Lee County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Lee County recorded 1,210 outage events, averaging 2.6 hours each.
What is Lee County's reliability grade?
Lee County has a Reliability Grade of C, in the 41st national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Lee County?
The worst outage on record started January 26, 2017, lasting 7 hours and affecting up to 19,796 customers.