Without seeing it first hand, it's really difficult to know exactly what's going on with them. It's 'possible' that they've already released the queen and she's not in the cage anymore.
I wouldn't panic, the bees are pretty smart, and will do what they want to do at this point anyway. If you're able to, you might want to give the box a very sturdy shake to shake the bees downward away from the queen cage and maybe you can see if the candy 'cork' has been eaten away (indicating that they've released the queen).
I feel your pain with the weather situation, I think pretty much everyone north of the Mason/Dixon line is in the same boat. Hang in there, you may be able to get them in a box in another day or two. Having snow on the ground won't be a problem as long as the temps work their way up a bit.