Cloud effects on the near-surface air temperature are considered using the hourly synoptic information for the past several decades from five regions of the Northern Hemisphere: Canada, the United States, the former Soviet Union, China, and tropical islands of the Western Pacific. Clouds are an internal component of climatic system and cause-consequence (forcing) is not a right term in describing their effects on the system. We defined normalized overall cloud effect on temperature, NOCET, as a temperature anomaly per unit (tenth of sky cover) deviation of cloud cover from its average value. Mean monthly NOCET time series (night- and day-time separately) have been area-averaged, parameterized as functions of surface air humidity, snow cover, and insolation at the top of the atmosphere, and their temporal and spatial variability assessed. Distinguishing between external and internal factors contributing to NOCET (by appropriate statistical technique) allowed us to apportion the interaction between cloud effect on temperature and other climate variables into feedbacks and forcings and estimate their relative importance. Systematic changes in overall cloud effect on surface air temperature and their possible causes will be discussed at the Conference