Mitchell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2020 | 16 hrs | 8,379 (95%) | Unnamed event |
| Apr 1, 2023 | 46 hrs | 8,043 (91%) | Unnamed event |
| Sep 3, 2021 | 2 hrs | 5,486 (62%) | Unnamed event |
| Mar 1, 2015 | 2 hrs | 5,463 (62%) | Winter Storm |
| Apr 22, 2015 | 2 hrs | 5,306 (60%) | Unnamed event |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Mitchell County, North Carolina that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Mitchell County recorded 1,750 distinct power outage events, averaging 3.0 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Mitchell County started August 7, 2020, lasting 16 hours and leaving up to 8,379 customers without power (95% of the county) at its peak.
May has historically been the worst month for outages in Mitchell County, with 190 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Mitchell County earns a Reliability Grade of F, placing it in the 17th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in North Carolina
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Mitchell County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wilkes County | F | 17th |
| Burke County | F | 16th |
| Watauga County | F | 15th |
| Rockingham County | F | 19th |
| Caswell County | F | 19th |
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 Mitchell County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Mitchell County recorded 1,750 outage events, averaging 3.0 hours each.
What is Mitchell County's reliability grade?
Mitchell County has a Reliability Grade of F, in the 17th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Mitchell County?
The worst outage on record started August 7, 2020, lasting 16 hours and affecting up to 8,379 customers.