Ahh, the good old days. I lived in northern Minnesota until I was 12 yrs. old, through 6th grade. We had many blizzard and cold days off each year. Of course some of those days off are figured into the school year and some missed days are added to the end of the year.
Blowing snow with zero visibility and sub-zero temps is pretty much expected this time of year. Temps reaching -50 and worse with wind chill figured in aren't uncommon.
My wife and I went back 10 years ago for Christmas. One day it was -87 with the wind chill. Local news reported that if you went outside, you were basically on your own. There were no guarantees anyone would rescue you if got stuck or stranded because the rescuers would be risking their lives just to get to you. At those temps any exposed skin is frostbitten very quickly.
I have many good memories, even with the harsh winters. While I wouldn't care to live there now, it is always a great place to be from.
My hometown local forecast....
http://search.weather.yahoo.com/forecast/USMN0514.html