Teleconnections between different basins have previously been examined in the literature and that research shows no evidence of a significant inter-basin relationship between North-East Pacific (NE Pacific) and North Atlantic (N Atlantic) tropical cyclone frequency. However, it has been suggested that the NE Pacific basin should be divided into two sub-regions, east and west of 116°W, to gain increased understanding of the factors which influence tropical cyclone formation in the NE Pacific. Using this subdivision to examine the period 1972–2006, it is observed that significant negative relationships are found between tropical cyclone frequency in the west region of the NE Pacific and tropical cyclone frequency in the N Atlantic, i.e. less tropical cyclones in the west region of the NE Pacific are associated with more tropical cyclones in the N Atlantic. The causes of these relationships are examined.