James88,

Steve could probably describe it better, but basically teleconnections take an event that is happening on one side of the world and seeing a similar event on the other, usually within a short period of time. Thus, the hurricane (typhoon) in W-Pac COULD translate to a similar event in the Atlantic. Here's a better explanation:

The El Nino and La Nina variability in the equatorial Pacific changes the position of a major heat source that drives the atmospheric circulation. When the equatorial rainy area moves from the far-western equatorial Pacific to the central equatorial Pacific, the atmosphere must adjust. The adjustment changes weather patterns around the globe. The changing patterns are called teleconnections. The NOAA PMEL page on Impacts of El Nino gives a picture of the global influence as well as the influence on North America and University of Florida's Center For Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies gives the influence on North American tornado frequency as well as other impacts. NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory gives the influence on Atlantic hurricanes based on Prof. Gray's work at Colorado State University.

The El Nino forecasts are used along with other data to produce seasonal forecasts for various regions. The Climate Prediction Center produces seasonal outlooks for the continental United States. Other products are listed at their products page.

In the United States, El Nino influences the number of tornados (see effects for area near Dallas), Texas rainfall, hurricanes reaching the US, winter rainfall, and temperature.

And the link to the entire site:

oceanworld