Teleconnection of ENSO extreme events and precipitation variability over the United States

•The linkage between the El Niño/La Niña and precipitation over the contiguous United States is examined.•Five core regions were detected based on composite and harmonic analysis, etc.•The El Niño/La Niña-precipitation relationships show the opposite sign, positive and negative.•The teleconnection between the ENSO and mid-latitude precipitation is identified over the contiguous United States.