In quite a few of the areas being hit with heavy snow, ice, mud slides, and power outages in the current storms from a single pair of weather systems most people get by quite nicely (in ordinary times) without even thinking about extra traction.
This is a coast-to-coast event. The snow and ice in the news today are a continuation of the same storm systems that were news along the west coast and out to the Rockies (and a little beyond) last week.