2013-2014 was a very solid winter pattern as well. That was to me the last great winter, at least for my area.
This right here is just an example of how drastic the differences of 50 miles and 500 feet of elevation can be the difference in a region. The north and northwest burbs have had 12-15 inches of snow over he past 4 winters, while south and east have had almost nothing. Hopefully something more widespread happens this January.