"Cold Nose"

Recently I was wondering about the accuracy of the old adages about whether or not the warmth of one's pet's ears and/or nose is a reliable measurement of ailing health. Factually - at least as far as numerous surfing sessions diagnosing on the internet could ascertain - there are any number of other factors and symptoms that cumulatively indicate potential issues.

Fortunately cartoonists make lousy veterinarians, or for that matter, armchair psychologists, who project their hypochondriatic tendencies using anthropomorphism instead. Still, we're cheaper than either.

And speaking of cold, we here in the Interior are battening down the proverbial hatches in the face of a pretty deep cold snap.

Middle Tanana Valley Severe Watches & Warnings NOAA Weather Radio
Watches & Warnings

Special Statement

Issued: 2:53 PM AKST Jan. 10, 2017 – National Weather Service

... Significant cold spell coming to the interior... 

Confidence is increasing that many areas in the interior will see
40 to 50 below low temperatures by early next week. 

Temperatures will cool through Friday with lows around 30 below,
but will briefly warm up this weekend with lows around 20 below. 

Colder air from the Arctic and Canada will surge south and  
settle over the interior early next week. Temperatures will fall 
to 40 to 50 below with the coldest area being in the upper Yukon 
Flats. The middle Tanana Valley, including Fairbanks, will likely 
see lows around 40 below by Monday morning. 

The degree of cold will depend how cloudy the skies will be. 
Under mostly clear skies, temperatures will be as cold as 
forecast. However, if skies are cloudy, overnight lows will be 
warmer than what is currently forecast. 

High temperatures will not be much warmer as there is very little
solar heating to help warm the atmosphere and break the strong 
inversion that will develop. 

For the latest forecast go to to weather.Gov/Fairbanks. 

https://www.wunderground.com/US/AK/222.html?MR=1 

Which all brings me to this “Forecast of Faces” a medley of teaser swatches from upcoming Nuggets: Way back when I submitted my panels for the feature to the newspaper to run in January, two were specifically 30-below zero gags and another one was for -40. I had almost edited them for higher temps, even just saying "subzero" instead of specifics, but thought, nah…



And if that map graphic is to believed, the warmest place to be in Alaska by at least fifty degrees is evidently on the Pacific Ocean or the Bering Sea? But seriously, if the forecast bears out, it'll come full circle right back to the first cover for the newspaper I ever did back in 1989... the last time we bottomed out in temperatures.  
Stay warm + well folks!