The January 2014 Gulf Coast winter storm was a somewhat rare winter storm that impacted the eastern and southeastern United States, as well as Mexico, most notably the Gulf Coast region, which rarely receives frozen precipitation, in late January 2014. The storm came during a period of very cold temperatures across much of the United States, bringing frigid temperatures as far south as the Gulf Coast. The Weather Channel Unofficially named it Winter Storm Leon. The winter storm caused major impacts and severe travel issues in the states of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi as many people were caught outside unexpectedly in the hazardous conditions, which included snow, freezing rain and sleet. Many travellers were stuck on highways for hours, some even requiring medical assistance due to being stuck. 180 people were injured by the storm and at least two were confirmed to have died in the winter storm. Meteorological synopsis As with most major winter storms in the American South, a low-pressure system formed near the western Gulf of Mexico, in this case, over Mexico on January 27, and eventually moved eastward. The breakdown of the normal polar vortex around the North Pole allowed an outbreak of frigid Arctic air to penetrate well into the South. The cold wave traveled much further south than normal, such that when the precipitation arrived from the Gulf Coast winter storm, freezing temperatures were occurring all of the way down to the coast. Despite the unusually far southward incursion of cold air, the storm took a somewhat more northward track than initially expected, much to the relief of some areas that were spared, and much to the surprise of others further north that had not paid attention to later changes in weather forecasts and corresponding winter storm warnings. On January 31, the weakened winter storm was absorbed into the circulation of another more powerful extratropical cyclone over the North Atlantic, while situated off the coast of South Carolina. Preparations and impact Gulf Coast Freezing rain and sleet were recorded in coastal cities including Houston in southeast Texas, New Orleans in southeast Louisiana, Mobile in the Alabama panhandle, and Pensacola and Tallahassee in the Florida panhandle. Much of Interstate 10 was closed to east and west traffic, as well as others to and from inland areas. Bridges to barrier islands were also closed due to ice, and the almost total lack of deicing equipment and