A space-heating energy-consumption model for Greeley, Colorado for the winter of 1976-77 was within 98.9 percent of actual natural gas consumption for that city. Modeling of Cheyenne, Wyoming, including the testing of a new statistical scheme to develop the building census required by the energy consumption model, has progressed to the point where reliable natural gas consumption estimates can be made with the model for that community. A detailed study of temperature and surface wind patterns in and near the city of Greeley, Colorado revealed that, at times, an urban heat island effect is present, in spite of the relatively small size of that town. Various feedback mechanisms between the oceans and the atmosphere were examined. Several of these mechanisms appear to be the cause of the interannual variability of the atmosphere's general circulation and of climatic changes on a time scale of several tens of years. A recent cooling trend in the North Pacific north of 40/sup 0/N, and sea-surface temperature fluctuations with an irregular periodicity of 2 to 4 years superimposed upon this trend were studied. To advance regional long-range forecasting skills January temperature anomalies over the eastern United States were correlated with flow patterns over the U.S. …