Hand CountyPower Outage History
2020–2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 2022 | 9 hrs | 388 (17%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Nov 10, 2022 | 4 hrs | 339 (15%) | Drought |
| May 12, 2022 | 2 hrs | 338 (15%) | Unnamed event |
| Jul 14, 2021 | 4 hrs | 313 (14%) | Drought |
| Sep 14, 2021 | 3 hrs | 276 (12%) | Drought |
Over the 6 years from 2020 to 2025, Hand County recorded 15 distinct power outage events, averaging 3.4 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Hand County started July 5, 2022 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 9 hours and leaving up to 388 customers without power (17% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Hand County, with 4 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Hand County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 96th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Sized for Hand 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 Hand County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Oglala Lakota County | A | 96th |
| Dewey County | A | 96th |
| Corson County | A | 96th |
| Jerauld County | A | 96th |
| Potter County | A | 94th |
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 Hand County?
Between 2020 and 2025, Hand County recorded 15 outage events, averaging 3.4 hours each.
What is Hand County's reliability grade?
Hand County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 96th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Hand County?
The worst outage on record started July 5, 2022 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 9 hours and affecting up to 388 customers.