Generated using version 3.2 of the official AMS L A T E X template On the role of tropical ocean forcing of the persistent 1 North American west coast ridge of winter 2013/14 2 Richard Seager ∗ and Naomi Henderson 3 Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 4 * Corresponding author address: Richard Seager, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia Uni- versity, 61 Route 9W., Palisades, NY 10964. Email: seager@ldeo.columbia.edu Submitted to J. Climate February 2016, revised June 2016, August 2016, LDEO Contribution Number xxxx. 1