Honey, never move to my old neighborhood. See, I lived on a mountain in Valley Forge National Historical Park, so all the stuff you described occurred with alarming regularity when there was ANY precipitation. It got to the point where I was so used to it by age 11 that I would prep all the candles and oil lamps as soon as I heard a thunderstorm was coming. It was inevitable that the power would go out. The trees mostly miss the houses, but there was one that blocked our garage for a week.

Also, in the case of snow, we were also saddled with cars and school buses breaking down at the foot of the mountain. 7th grade featured me walking the two miles home from the foot of the mountain, in a foot of snow.

So, I reiterate: don't move north, and if you must, make sure it's not a mountainous region.

Regarding ice: make sure to hit it straight on and at a constant speed. Any attempts to change direction or velocity will make you lose total control.

OK, Northerner's rant over!