Having lived in the PacNW off and on (and calling Tacoma, WA home), I can certainly chime in on what snow/ice does there. Folks just aren't used to it and driving in Seattle's (and Tacoma's) hills is bad enough in ideal road conditions. It was Seattle that swore me off stick shifts.
Growing up in the northern-most island of Japan (Hokkaido), I remember the snow being so high that we'd have to dig a tunnel from the front door to the road.
We're predicted to get about 2" snow accummulation overnight here around Kansas City....with the windchill factored in, I'm expecting solid ice on the roads to work tomorrow morning; to try to avoid the big traffic snarls that's gonna be inevitable, I'm going in a couple of hours early. Nope. Don't miss the snow/ice at all...even if it IS beautiful.