I don't know why people outside the snowbelt get freaked out, either.
A few years ago I was driving through Indiana, doing 80 to 85 mph. It was snowing a bit, but light by Wisconsin standards. A trooper pulled me over and was acting as though I'd been doing 180 mph. He was ranting about all of the cars off the road, the interstate closed ahead (what?) and everything short of a nuclear attack.
When I got to Indianapolis, I was shocked to find the interstate closed. It was maybe 4-6" of snow, and they closed the interstate?