00:00 What's in a Name? Tropical Cyclones A look behind the naming of hurricanes and typhoons.

At a Glance The lack of hurricane-strength cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere has set records.

Conditions have not been favorable for cyclone development, especially near Australia. Tropical cyclone season for the southern Indian and Pacific oceans has been very quiet – record quiet, in fact.

There has not been a hurricane-strength tropical system, or a system with winds greater than 74 mph, in any of the three major Southern Hemisphere basins in more than 280 days, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach . Tropical Cyclone Fantala in April in the southwestern Indian Ocean and Cyclone Amos, also in April, in the southern Pacific Ocean were the most recent hurricane-strength systems in those basins.

(MORE: What's The Difference Between Hurricanes, Typhoons and Tropical Cyclones? )

The infrequency of tropical storms, or warm-cored systems with winds 39 mph or greater, so far this cyclone season is also a record. The Southern Hemisphere produced four fewer tropical cyclones through Jan. 26 than the previous record.

Tropical cyclone season in the Southern Hemisphere extends from November to April, although tropical cyclones can form in any month of the year. There have been two tropical storms and numerous disturbances, but conditions have not allowed those systems to strengthen further.

(MORE: Where Hurricanes Come From )

As hurricane expert Michael Lowry explains, conditions south of the equator have been less than ideal for the growth of tropical cyclones.

Cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures have persisted across much of the tropical Indian Ocean since October, and have expanded and slightly cooled during the first month of this year.

The Australia region has been no stranger to slow cyclone seasons. The 2015-16 Australia Cyclone season only totaled up one hurricane-strength system during the entire season, fewer than the average of nearly five . Using the Australian Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale , the 2015-16 season was the quietest year on record for tropical cyclones.

By Jan. 31 last year, two hurricane-strength cyclones had formed in the South Pacific, one in the Australia region and one in the southwest Indian Ocean.

However, it was not all quiet on the bottom of the Earth. In February 2016, Tropical Cyclone Winston became the strongest cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphere, making landfall in Fiji with winds near 180 mph.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/winston-ssec-cimss_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/winston-ssec-cimss_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/winston-ssec-cimss_0.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Infrared satellite image of Tropical Cyclone Winston as it neared Fiji in February 2016. (SSEC/CIMSS)

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/winston_amo_2016051.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/winston_amo_2016051.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/winston_amo_2016051.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Tropical Cyclone Winston moving through the Fiji Islands on Feb. 20, 2016. (NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz/Aqua/MODIS) (NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz/Aqua/MODIS)

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Tropical Cyclone Winston