The coldest months in Louisville history were January 1977 (8.3 average for the month), and January and February 1978 (around 14 on average). When you average single digits for the month you have to have some really cold days. I understand if schools are called in Chicago for -50 wind chill days, but KY didn't have that kind of weather.
I don't remember a lot from that age, but I distinctly remember two things from those winters: the Ohio River freezing over (this was on the TV news, people were walking on the river ice, and my memory is black and white lol), and school being closed a LOT of days. I would not be surprised if some was for cold, although we did have a shitload of snow back then. I can remember "snot freezing cold" (you know what I mean, your nostrils get stiff), but I cannot remember
actually being cold waiting for the bus. Wednesday morning I actually felt cold, and I dressed like an REI advertisement. The coldest temperatures of the year are usually on low-wind days: it is from usually backside weather after a snow event, and this is usually high pressure following a low...higher pressure and a clear night with snow pack. This was different: we had snow on the ground, and the skies cleared, but the sinking vortex had the wind 20-25 mph.
I have a few fairly distinctive memories of the blizzard of 78. We made tunnels in the snow. I guess they only went a couple of feet in reality, but we thought we were bad ass kids. We were out of school for two weeks. Apparently some of the phone system went down, as Dad took off to check on Mom's mother in Edwardsville. I-64 was closed but apparently he told the cops to get fvcked and drove up the road anyway (this is a common thread in my family history, and the same grandmother did this after the 74 tornado outbreak to check on one of her kids). Dad had a truck almost exactly like the one in the link below, except his was more beige than yellowish....a real fvcking tank. Dad made it to the top of Edwardsville hill, then had to walk through high drifts the last quarter mile or so to make sure she was OK. Of course she was, she was old school country and could survive a zombie outbreak before any of us would.
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2012/08/Four-Score---1961-Ford-F-250/3715031.html
Anyway, one big thing I do remember from childhood: I knew kids had parents that drank a lot, I knew kids whose parents smoked funny smelling cigarettes, but I don't remember any kids parents OD'ing on dope, and even the poor kids were covered head to toe in cold weather with coats, gloves, fvcking ski masks, etc. I know, because we had snowball fights with the projects kids, and the kids from Bono Village in New Albany (HUD housing a little better than the projects). I'm sure some was because of charity; I remember my parents gave a lot to such things at church, such as their annual coat drive. But times have changed; there is more "fvcked up" in the world today. Better safe than sorry.
Can you even buy ski masks today? I don't recall seeing them in Walmart any time soon....then again, I don't look at the Walmart clothes very often.
