01:05 Things We Will Remember About the 2015 Hurricane Season Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari looks at the most interesting aspects of the 2015 hurricane season.

The dearth of named tropical cyclones in the tropical northern Pacific Ocean in 2016 has now set a pair of records immediately following one of the most hyperactive years in 2015.

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There wasn't a single named storm of at least tropical storm intensity in the North Pacific Basin since Hurricane Pali became a January oddball just north of the equator and well southwest of Hawaii until July 2, when Tropical Storm Agatha developed in the Eastern Pacific.

Most impressive is the lack of a single tropical storm, much less a typhoon (the term for a hurricane in the western North Pacific Basin), west of the international date line since mid-December 2015, in the world's typically busiest tropical cyclone corridor.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/wpac-contrast-1jul16.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/wpac-contrast-1jul16.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/wpac-contrast-1jul16.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Year-to-date northwestern Pacific basin tropical cyclones of at least tropical storm strength through July 1 2015 vs. 2016.

This has now set a new record for the longest stretch without at least a single tropical storm in the western North Pacific basin in 66 years of records, according to Colorado State University tropical scientist Dr. Phil Klotzbach .

The record ended on July 3rd, when a tropical depression developed into Tropical Storm Nepartak, as classified by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Longest Northwest Pacific Stretches Without a Single Tropical Storm

(Source: Joint Typhoon Warning Center archive) Start, End Dates Consecutive Days Dec. 17, 2015 - July 3, 2016 200 Dec. 15, 1972 - June 30, 1973 198 Dec. 22, 1997 - July 7, 1998 198

(Note: A correction has been made to the current streak, previously reported to have started on December 15, 2015.)

By the end of June 2015, there had already been nine tropical cyclones in the northwest Pacific basin, including three super typhoons of Category 5 equivalent intensity.

The eastern North Pacific basin has already set a record long wait for the first tropical storm in 2016.

June 21, 2009, was the previous record latest date of the eastern Pacific hurricane season's first named storm (Andres). Reliable records in the eastern Pacific basin date to 1971.

Tropical Depression One-E made a failed attempt to become the first of the season in early June. On average, the basin would've seen two named storms, one of which would reach hurricane strength, by late June .

Tropical Storm Agatha finally ended this Eastern Pacific record-long wait July 2, becoming the season's first tropical storm, well off the Mexican coast.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://i.imwx.com/images/maps/truvu/map_specnewsdct-12_ltst_4namus_enus_160x90.jpg" srcset="https://i.imwx.com/images/maps/truvu/map_specnewsdct-12_ltst_4namus_enus_160x90.jpg 400w, https://i.imwx.com/images/maps/truvu/map_specnewsdct-12_ltst_4namus_enus_160x90.jpg 800w" > Current Satellite Image: Northeast Pacific Ocean (The highest cloud tops, corresponding to the most vigorous convection, are shown in the orange and red colors.) (The highest cloud tops, corresponding to the most vigorous convection, are shown in the orange and red colors.)

One year ago, there already had been a pair of Category 4 hurricanes – Andres and Blanca – in the eastern Pacific Basin, and a third named storm, Carlos , also became a hurricane by mid-June 2015.

Fueled in part by a record-tying El Niño , the eastern Pacific Basin saw a record nine hurricanes reach at least Category 3 intensity in 2015, as well as the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Western Hemisphere, Hurricane Patricia .

The Central Pacific Basin (from 140 degrees west longitude until the international date line, including Hawaii) also set a record for activity in 2015, with 14 named storms and eight hurricanes, five of which reached at least Category 3 intensity. At one time, three Category 4 hurricanes were active at once in the central and eastern Pacific basins for the first time on record.

(MORE: 11 Things We Remember About the 2015 Hurricane Season )

Thanks in large part to the snoozing north Pacific basin, Klotzbach noted that global tropical cyclone activity (measured by the accumulated cyclone energy or ACE index), despite three named Atlantic storms, set a June record low, dipping below the previous quietest June set in 2006 .

How Unusual Is This 'Drought?'

This is the first time in records dating to 1950 that the entire North Pacific Basin has failed to generate a single tropical storm from Jan. 15 through June 21, according to Klotzbach (Note: "Agatha" formed on June 13, 1998, putting an end to the previous record streak).

Klotzbach also said this is only the second time in 66 years a period from January 16 - June 28 has not produced a single hurricane-strength tropical cyclone anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere , joining 1977 as the only other such time.

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Despite that, these long dry spells have happened before.

"These types of tropical cyclone droughts are fairly common when moving away from strong El Niño seasons," said Klotzbach via Twitter.

(MORE: How Unusual Are Hawaii Hurricanes? )

As shown in the previous table, Klotzbach noted the longest such droughts in the western Pacific Basin, including the current event, all immediately followed strong El Niños .

"Both the El Niño and the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) have tended to force sinking motion over the Northwest Pacific," said Klotzbach. The MJO is a large-scale, long-period wave of upward and downward motion that propagates around the tropical latitudes.

This sinking motion leads to drier, more stable air, fewer clouds, showers and anomalously high pressure at the surface over the western Pacific Ocean. All these factors work against the formation of tropical cyclones.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/wpac-activity-graph-avg.jpg" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/wpac-activity-graph-avg.jpg 400w, https://s.w-x.co/wpac-activity-graph-avg.jpg 800w" > Typical tropical cyclone activity by month in the western Pacific basin from 1959-2010. (Paul Stanko/WFO Guam via NOAA/AOML/HRD) (Paul Stanko/WFO Guam via NOAA/AOML/HRD)

The western Pacific Basin is typically the most active area for tropical cyclones on Earth, where named storms, even typhoons, can form any month of the year.

As is the case in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic basins, western Pacific activity typically reaches a peak in August and September, so this drought won't last long.

However, with a potential developing La Niña (cooler-than-average equatorial Pacific water; opposite of El Niño) later this summer and fall, Klotzbach also pointed out tropical cyclone activity tends to be less in the Pacific during La Niña years . So perhaps the hard-hit Pacific basin may get a bit of a breather after a frenetic, record-smashing 2015 .

Then again, it's important to keep in mind that it only takes one landfall to make any season "active" or "destructive."

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Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been an incurable weather geek since a tornado narrowly missed his childhood home in Wisconsin at age 7.

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