The different influences of central and eastern Pacific warming on the cool-season (October-March) Arctic atmospheric circulation are investigated through a series of idealized general circulation model (GCM) experiments. Previous studies have shown that canonical El Niņo (eastern Pacific warming) events can weaken the stratospheric polar vortex, depending on the phase of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO). Our diagnosis of reanalysis data shows that the vortex may strengthen during central Pacific warming events. The different vortex responses are reflected in differences in the phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO), storm track location, and strength of moisture transport into the Arctic. The response of the Arctic atmospheric circulation to different flavors of warming is further explored using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model Version 5 (CAM5), driven by idealized SST fields. The discussion of the model results focuses on 1) the reproduction of the observed dynamical connections between tropical SSTs and the stratospheric polar vortex, and 2) the comparison of the significance of the stratospheric pathway to those of other mechanisms, such as the synoptic-eddy feedback, in establishing the observed and simulated dynamical connections.