I'm from Canada (Montreal) and work on the road, so I know quite a bit about driving in the snow. On the other hand, I don't have any idea how conditions might look like in the region you're going, but my guess is it won't likely be much different or worse than here.
Good snow tires do make a big difference in snow. Where ice is concerned, the difference will vary greatly from one brand to the next and one model to the next. If you're not spending a whole season there, you could go by with a brand new set of all-season tires (but snow and ice tires are still the best). Summer tires are really not recommendable and your tiress sound like they have a hard sole, which meand they might not be very recommendable. Chains might work for snow, but won't help on ice.
Even if the name suggests it, snow and ice tires are not impervious. They only make it better to a certain degree in snow, but allow you more traction on ice (even if just a bit, which is usually enough to be able to get somewhere without being stuck). Driving in loose snow isn't all that bad; just reduce your speed and give yourself extra time to stop or to slow down. there are a variety of tactics for emergency breaking in snow, which vary greatly on the situation and the type of snow. You should be able to find something on the internet with a little research.
ALWAYS watch out for intersection at stops and street lights: too many people lock up their wheels (or spin them), which causes ice to form exactly where you need to stop. My rule of thumb is to slow down real early, and come to the intersection so slow that I know that even with my wheels lock up, I'll stop in time.
Ice is the worst ennemy. It sometines is very hard to judge if there is ice and how slippery it is if you are driving in a straight line and suddenly hit a patch. Driving in a straight line doesn't give you any judgment of how slippery it is. To differenciate snow from snow that was packed into ice is relatively simple: if it reflects any light, it is ice (unless the snow has melted) and you need to be more than extra careful. If the road seems smoother than usual (you can't see any dimples) you're on a skating rink grade ice patch. IF the road is totally black although you're headlights are pretty strong, that is the worst of all: black ice.
The smoother the ice surface, the more deadly (breaking or turning have almost no effect). Always keep your cool and always drive much slower in these conditions. If breaking hard does nothing, break only enough to slow down. Pumping the brakes will help on rougher ice patches, but not by much.
The BEST EVER strategy to drive past an ice patch is to keep your tires on the side of the road where there actually is snow (if there is any).Snow has much better traction, even if it feels like you need more gas to keep your speed constant.
One trick I use every now and then, when there's noboy around, is to brake and see how much braking I can use before the wheels lock up. That always gives me an idea of how bad it is and how slow I should be going.
CURVES: these are the times where you should drive even slowest if there is any ice at all. Once you start sliding sideways, you'll only stop on a hard object, or with any luck, on a snow patch or snow bank.
OTHER PEOPLE: as any human, every single year it starts to snow, people act like they have never ever seen it. Some drive like it's summer, others drive like they just lost a wheel. Keep your distances clear on all sides, you can't trust anyone. Following a truck IS generally a good Idea, not so much because the driver can see further, but there is a very good chance HE knows what to expect. On the plus side, if there IS a pile-up ahead, he just might open up more room for you to stop.
ACCESSORIES: have the Anti-freeze in your radiator checked so it will not freeze at the temperatures you might face. Buy anti-freeze windshield washer and always have a spare bottle in the trunk. Fill up your windshield washer reservoir every time you put gas or even more often. Get a cheap ice scraper and make sure you have good visibility on all sides, including mirrors and remove all snow accumulation from your car before you go out there... there is nothing worse than those *******s that look like a moving cloud of invisibility, spreading haze to all around.
There isn't much snow here yet, so I'm guessing that conditions are even better down south, but so far the snow we've had here has turned into ice really fast (Ive seen one idiot eat the curb on both sides of the highway exit at 30 MPH). Since I have no idea what you'll be facing, you should call to your destination and ask what to expect at this time of year. Maybe they're not expecting anything more than melting snow... who knows...
Driving in the winter isn't deadly if you have a little common sense and drive carefully. The biggest danger is those who don't...
Hope this helps.
