Observed surface winds from 1961 through September 1992 are used to force a reduced gravity shallow water ocean model. Results from the hindcast of ocean variability are found to be consistent with the results Li and Clarke presented in a previous study of sea level and zonal wind variability in the tropical Pacific. In this note the apparent discrepancies are reconciled between “delayed oscillator” theory and calculated lag correlations between the observationally based records of western boundary Kelvin mode amplitude (ηW) and zonal wind forcing. Evidence for sensitivity in these “delayed oscillator” lag correlations is presented from a variety of sources, including: the hindcast data, output from the standard version of the Zebiak and Cane coupled ocean-atmosphere model, and through three cases with idealized time series of ENSO variability. The authors demonstrate that the low lag correlations for ηW leading the zonal wind forcing by 1 to 1½ years is not inconsistent with the hypothesized rol... Abstract Observed surface winds from 1961 through September 1992 are used to force a reduced gravity shallow water ocean model. Results from the hindcast of ocean variability are found to be consistent with the results Li and Clarke presented in a previous study of sea level and zonal wind variability in the tropical Pacific. In this note the apparent discrepancies are reconciled between “delayed oscillator” theory and calculated lag correlations between the observationally based records of western boundary Kelvin mode amplitude (ηW) and zonal wind forcing. Evidence for sensitivity in these “delayed oscillator” lag correlations is presented from a variety of sources, including: the hindcast data, output from the standard version of the Zebiak and Cane coupled ocean-atmosphere model, and through three cases with idealized time series of ENSO variability. The authors demonstrate that the low lag correlations for ηW leading the zonal wind forcing by 1 to 1½ years is not inconsistent with the hypothesized rol...