Columbia CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 2020 | 26 hrs | 8,271 (15%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Aug 16, 2025 | 22 hrs | 5,229 (10%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| May 22, 2024 | 25 hrs | 4,552 (8%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Jul 29, 2023 | 44 hrs | 4,506 (8%) | Thunderstorm Wind |
| Jun 15, 2022 | 15 hrs | 4,267 (8%) | Excessive Heat |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Columbia County, Wisconsin that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Columbia County recorded 238 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.4 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Columbia County started June 3, 2020 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 26 hours and leaving up to 8,271 customers without power (15% of the county) at its peak.
June has historically been the worst month for outages in Columbia County, with 49 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Columbia County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 90th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Wisconsin
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Columbia County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Pierce County | A | 90th |
| Sauk County | A | 90th |
| Richland County | A | 91st |
| Eau Claire County | A | 90th |
| Douglas County | A | 91st |
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 Columbia County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Columbia County recorded 238 outage events, averaging 2.4 hours each.
What is Columbia County's reliability grade?
Columbia County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 90th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Columbia County?
The worst outage on record started June 3, 2020 (Thunderstorm Wind), lasting 26 hours and affecting up to 8,271 customers.