Howard County, IA Power Outages
Only some utilities serving Howard County, Iowa share live outage data (MiEnergy Cooperative), and none of them report outages here right now. Interstate Power and Light Co and Heartland Power Coop do not share live data, so check their outage maps for real-time status.
Howard County on the Iowa outage map
- Normal
- Minor
- Moderate
- Major
- Severe
- Limited data
Current outages
Weather alerts
No active outage-relevant weather alerts from the National Weather Service.
Howard County power outage history
Every significant outage recorded in Howard County since late 2014, with likely causes from NOAA storm reports
Since late 2014, DOE's EAGLE-I monitoring system has recorded 173 significant power outages in Howard County, meaning events that left at least 1% of customers in the dark. The largest (Jul 18–21, 2017) came when tornadoes left 4,909 customers (100% of the county) without power.
From 2018 to 2025, the average customer here lost about 5 hr 43 min of power per year, close to the Iowa average of 5 hr 30 min. That ranks 24th of 99 Iowa counties for outage time, where 1st has the most.
December is the riskiest month: it accounted for 43% of all customer outage time from 2018 to 2025. On 73 days in that period, at least 5% of customers were out at the same time. Outage time in Howard County has fallen recently: about 3 hr 57 min per customer per year in 2022–2025, versus 7 hr 29 min in 2018–2021.
The most recent significant outage on record (Oct 29, 2025) affected 51 customers (1.2%).
Worst outages on record
| # | When | Peak customers out | Days | Likely cause (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 18–21, 2017 | 4,909(100%) | 4 | Tornadoes |
| 2 | Dec 16–17, 2021 | 4,609(100%) | 2 | Severe thunderstorms |
| 3 | May 27, 2019 | 2,447(58.6%) | 1 | Tornadoes |
| 4 | Aug 7–9, 2022 | 2,415(57.8%) | 3 | Severe thunderstorms |
| 5 | Apr 10–12, 2019 | 2,268(54.3%) | 3 | High winds |
Hours without power per customer, by year
When outages happen
Source: DOE/ORNL EAGLE-I recorded electricity outages, 2014–2025 (CC BY 4.0), with likely causes from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database. EAGLE-I coverage was partial before 2018, so averages use 2018–2025. Peak counts are the highest number of customers out at one time.
Who provides electricity in Howard County?
Electric companies with service territory in Howard County (EIA-861, 2025)
| Utility | Type | Customers (IA) | Avg. outage time / yr | Live data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliant Energy (Iowa) | Investor Owned | 506,498 | Not reporting | |
| MiEnergy Cooperative | Cooperative | 7,311 | Reporting | |
| Heartland Power Coop | Cooperative | 5,322 | Not reporting |
Customer counts are each utility's statewide total in Iowa. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 & Electric Power Annual.
Local outage news
No Howard County outage headlines in the past week.
Howard County power outage FAQ
Is the power out in Howard County right now?
No outages are currently reported for Howard County by participating utilities. Live coverage is limited here, so If your power is out, report it to your electric company.
Which electric company serves Howard County?
According to EIA-861 service territory data, Interstate Power and Light Co, MiEnergy Cooperative, Heartland Power Coop provide electric service in Howard County, Iowa.
What was the worst power outage in Howard County?
The largest outage recorded by DOE's EAGLE-I system since 2014 was Jul 18–21, 2017. It peaked at 4,909 customers without power (100% of the county). NOAA storm reports for that period point to tornadoes.
How often does the power go out in Howard County?
EAGLE-I has recorded 173 significant outages here since late 2014. From 2018 to 2025 the average customer lost about 5 hr 43 min of power per year, and on 73 days at least 5% of customers were out at once.
Cite this page
You may reuse our derived data under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. Underlying government data is public domain.
PowerOutageTracker.com. "Howard County, IA Power Outages." Accessed November 3, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/outages/iowa/howard-county