Buffalo CountyPower Outage History
2019–2025 · South Dakota
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2021 | 1 hrs | 639 (52%) | Unnamed event |
| Sep 16, 2020 | 3 hrs | 633 (51%) | Unnamed event |
| Jul 20, 2021 | <1 hr | 482 (39%) | Drought |
| Jul 22, 2021 | 2 hrs | 482 (39%) | Drought |
| Sep 15, 2020 | 2 hrs | 165 (13%) | Unnamed event |
Over the 7 years from 2019 to 2025, Buffalo County recorded 63 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.0 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Buffalo County started April 19, 2021, lasting 1 hours and leaving up to 639 customers without power (52% of the county) at its peak.
December has historically been the worst month for outages in Buffalo County, with 11 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Buffalo County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 94th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Sized for Buffalo County's outage profile
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Read our mission →Similar counties in South Dakota
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Buffalo County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Walworth County | A | 94th |
| Campbell County | A | 93rd |
| Potter County | A | 94th |
| Edmunds County | A | 93rd |
| Stanley County | A | 93rd |
Most reliable counties in South Dakota
The top 3 counties in South Dakota by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Clay County | A | 100th |
| Codington County | A | 98th |
| Tripp County | A | 98th |
Least reliable counties in South Dakota
The bottom 3 counties in South Dakota by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Harding County | D | 21st |
| Perkins County | D | 29th |
| Custer County | D | 30th |
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 Buffalo County?
Between 2019 and 2025, Buffalo County recorded 63 outage events, averaging 2.0 hours each.
What is Buffalo County's reliability grade?
Buffalo County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 94th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Buffalo County?
The worst outage on record started April 19, 2021, lasting 1 hours and affecting up to 639 customers.