Wilkes 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 23, 2017 | 87 hrs | 25,695 (56%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Jul 8, 2016 | 76 hrs | 23,217 (51%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Sep 27, 2024 | 153 hrs | 22,628 (50%) | Hurricane Helene |
| Jun 20, 2020 | 4 hrs | 9,834 (22%) | Unnamed event |
| Jun 20, 2020 | 3 hrs | 9,763 (21%) | Unnamed event |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Wilkes County, North Carolina that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Wilkes County recorded 1,600 distinct power outage events, averaging 3.3 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Wilkes County started October 23, 2017 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 87 hours and leaving up to 25,695 customers without power (56% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Wilkes County, with 187 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Wilkes 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 Wilkes County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Mitchell County | F | 17th |
| Rockingham County | F | 19th |
| Caswell County | F | 19th |
| Burke County | F | 16th |
| Chatham 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 Wilkes County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Wilkes County recorded 1,600 outage events, averaging 3.3 hours each.
What is Wilkes County's reliability grade?
Wilkes County has a Reliability Grade of F, in the 17th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Wilkes County?
The worst outage on record started October 23, 2017 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 87 hours and affecting up to 25,695 customers.