To investigate the observed atmospheric response to SST variability in the North Pacific, the Maximum Covariance Analysis is performed between the monthly sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) and the 500-hPa geopotential height anomaly over the North Pacific using observations of the period 1958--1993. In addition to the strong remote ENSO impact in winter months, the MCA analysis suggests a significant local atmospheric response, with the summer atmosphere corresponding to the preceding winter SST over the North Pacific. In this local response, a horseshoe SSTA in winter, with a positive SSTA loading over the central-western North Pacific surrounded by a negative SSTA, appears to persist into the spring and summer, eventually leading to an atmospheric response in summer with a wave-train over the mid-latitude North Pacific. This local response may imply some predictability of the North Pacific summer atmospheric circulation with a lead time of up to 6 months.