I've heard that forecast too. I've already got ice tires on the cars and a fat wood pile. But that's standard operating procedure for me. I like having critical resouces close at hand.

Can't be worse than the weather when I was a kid. I remember the year when they used D-9 Cats to clear a single driving lane down the rural roads. The snow was that deep. Probably unusual, but not unheard of.

My DW and I also have an understanding: turn back if the roads are too horrible to travel safely. We can afford a night or two in a hotel if the commute is impossible. And no-one will perish if we don't get to work for a day or two. So make the judgement call, phone home, and settle in with a good book. Everything else will work itself out.

Extra gear? Absolutely. Enough for a crude overnight winter camp, spare hats, mitts, coat, tarp and rope, candles, blankets, cooking can/pot, and an old sleeping bag too. Guess I got into the habit when I drove those old clunkers as a starving student. Got rid of the clunkers; kept the habit. DW now reports that she feels vaguely uneasy travelling in somebody else's vehicle; most people still don't carry anything more than a latte and a cell phone.