Fake the weather in a movie

[jdom]

I wanted to know if anybody had some tips on how to fake cold weather in a scene. This is what I came up with so far, please give me your sense on the subject.

My problem is I am in the south and it doesn't get that cold in Oct. and barely snows at all. plus I have a deadline so its not like I can wait for weather to cooperate.

The Set up- outdoors in woods, a large area in background, LOW BUDGET

Some tips so far-
Fake Snow- I looked into artificial snow and It is do-able however I need to cover a large area of ground. Is there a better/cheaper way. I was thinking CGI but didn't want to spend the time in post.

Visible Breath- This would be easier in post just get some stock footage of smoke bubbles (etc) and create fake "visible" breath in after effects. Or is there a way to avoid visual effects?


Any other tips/tricks to create the illusion of chilling cold weather?
Thanks alot for your help!