Potter CountyPower Outage History
2017–2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 3, 2021 | <1 hr | 1,027 (42%) | Freezing Fog |
| Dec 25, 2020 | <1 hr | 701 (28%) | High Wind |
| Nov 18, 2019 | 1 hrs | 430 (17%) | Unnamed event |
| Sep 4, 2020 | 3 hrs | 421 (17%) | Unnamed event |
| Jun 22, 2017 | <1 hr | 405 (16%) | Drought |
Over the 9 years from 2017 to 2025, Potter County recorded 73 distinct power outage events, averaging 3.0 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Potter County started February 3, 2021 (Freezing Fog), lasting less than 1 hour and leaving up to 1,027 customers without power (42% of the county) at its peak.
June has historically been the worst month for outages in Potter County, with 14 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Potter County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 94th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
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Read our mission →Similar counties in South Dakota
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Potter County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County | A | 94th |
| Walworth County | A | 94th |
| Campbell County | A | 93rd |
| Edmunds County | A | 93rd |
| Dewey County | A | 96th |
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 Potter County?
Between 2017 and 2025, Potter County recorded 73 outage events, averaging 3.0 hours each.
What is Potter County's reliability grade?
Potter County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 94th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Potter County?
The worst outage on record started February 3, 2021 (Freezing Fog), lasting less than 1 hour and affecting up to 1,027 customers.