The issue with that November storm a few years ago was that it was more severe than expected. It probably would have been OK if everyone who drove to work that morning was in a normal car or SUV, but every time I got caught on a suburban road at a standstill I could see that the delay was caused by a work van or rear-wheel drive car that couldn’t move up even the tiniest grade in the snow.
A few years ago I bought a new diesel Golf in the early spring. We had an unexpected snowstorm. I was caught in it. I ended up on a steeply graded road and with very little control of the vehicle...no sno tires on. I had a train of vehicles crowding behind me as I crept down the hill.
Finally they realized I was struggling and just managing to keep it in control. They opened about 300 feet behind me and let me continue my crawl at about 2 to 5 miles an hour. God bless standard shifts! We will made it home.
Watching out for the other guy is a big part of driving.