Sounds like just another winter storm that we have at this time of year. I think the weather people like to raise the bar and make these storms seem more than the norm for winter weather.
However the cold we had was indeed COLDER than the average...at least for a longer duration.
We had nasty weather here today. Snow, freezing rain, and now back to snow. I went without power for 1 this afternoon till about 8 tonight.