Providence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2020 | 79 hrs | 84,135 (29%) | Tropical Storm Isaias |
| Oct 30, 2017 | 114 hrs | 67,995 (23%) | Tropical Storm Phillipe |
| Mar 2, 2018 | 80 hrs | 64,587 (22%) | Unnamed event |
| Aug 4, 2015 | 7 hrs | 49,763 (17%) | Hurricane Sandy |
| Oct 7, 2020 | 36 hrs | 33,212 (11%) | Strong Wind |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Providence County, Rhode Island that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Providence County recorded 1,635 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.2 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Providence County started August 4, 2020 (Tropical Storm Isaias), lasting 79 hours and leaving up to 84,135 customers without power (29% of the county) at its peak.
June has historically been the worst month for outages in Providence County, with 189 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Providence County earns a Reliability Grade of C, placing it in the 48th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Rhode Island
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Providence County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Kent County | D | 38th |
| Bristol County | D | 34th |
| Newport County | B | 77th |
| Washington County | F | 15th |
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 Providence County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Providence County recorded 1,635 outage events, averaging 2.2 hours each.
What is Providence County's reliability grade?
Providence County has a Reliability Grade of C, in the 48th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Providence County?
The worst outage on record started August 4, 2020 (Tropical Storm Isaias), lasting 79 hours and affecting up to 84,135 customers.