We had the same experiences in the same region. The 3/19/56 event was memorable in the sense that we weren’t yet at adult height (you could argue I’m still not) making the amount of snow seem so much greater. My dad was a pharmacist and had to get to work in the final hours of the March 56 storm. My brother and I were still too small to manage shoveling 2 feet. Dad ruined our ‘51 Mercury but he made it in time to make sure sick people got their needed medicine.
12/30/2008 had a critter dumping 8 daytime inches over an 8-10 hour period. And it got quite cold. I loved that event. That was before subforums and phineas was ready to strangle me…lol.
It’s all about duration. 50 mph gusts within 30 mph sustained are one thing. 50 mph sustained with occasional higher gusts can cause widespread power issues. Personally, I’d prefer mundane winds but I don’t get to choose my weather.