I think the weathermen get kickbacks up here! Every time we're going to get snow they lay it on thick!
That's because they are all weather geeks, and I use the term with affection, not sneeringly. I was married to a forecaster (not the TV kind) for 18 years, and boy, do they get enthusiastic. (On the other hand, he called me a "word nerd." [That was in better days, obviously.]) My ex and his friends are probably the only people I know who come back from vacations with photos of waterspouts, dust devils, and clouds.
Nothing excites a weather geek more than a tornado or a snowstorm.
If you go to one of the grocery stores the shelves are very low. It seems absurd to get so much for an regular old storm! I make sure I have wine or beer and that's about it!
When I lived in Virginia, people would do that at even the slightest hint of snow in the forecast. It drove me nuts! I can understand folks in your area, Dave, stocking up when facing 8 to 10 inches, but in VA they'd do it at the prospect of a mere 1 inch. I had to keep reminding myself that the people just weren't accustomed to snow but I'd still end up gritting my teeth in annoyance at all the hysteria.
I make sure I have wine, too! And toilet paper and books. I'd be hard put to prioritize them, actually.