Had frozen pipes last night. What I do is turn on all faucets hot & cold, whether they run or not, and leave them on. It may take a while so you must be around, but eventually the water comes back. Don't ask me why, my cousin the plumber says: impossible. My boyfriend says: impossible, but it's worked for me in two different houses.
If you do get the water back, you must let the water run continuously at "a pencil lead" thickness to keep them from re-freezing.
Hope it works, good luck!
I really should invest in a blow torch. Or have a plumber relocate my kitchen sink so it doesn't call for pipes to come clear across the uninsulated garage ceiling. That's where they freeze.
You are right they often thaw out by themselves. Maybe plumbers don't want this generally known, eh? ;)
By the way I am in PA a little to the east of Pittsburgh and we have around four inches of snow here. Actually doesn't look too bad, snowing lightly. I will never get over the snow we had a few years back, three feet deep. After that nothing seems too bad.