I will take 1 - 2 feet of snow any day as opposed to 10 - 20 degrees and no snow. The snow helps to provide insulation. Next to a shrub trunk under 2 feet of snow the temp is .... duh-duh ~ 32. An exposed stem with 20 degrees and wind very much worse.
Of course the absolute worse is in the teens and then shooting back up to 50s in a few days. That can be a death knell. That happens a lot over winter where I live.
