Sunday was the first day of winter, and it portends different things to different people.

Some see it as the start of a long cold season, but others enjoy winter or look ahead to more daylight hours as spring approaches.

For snowmobilers, this is a time of the year to look forward to.

“I hope it's a good year for it,” said Dave Klein of Prospect.

He said that last year was a good year for snowmobiling, but he was unable to go out because of high gas prices.

“I'm hoping this year is going to be better,” Klein said.

He said the best locations for snowmobiling are in the Allegheny National Forest. Usually now and especially after Jan. 1 is when conditions become good for snowmobiling.

Klein said the best conditions include a few inches of snow, followed by a brief thaw and then a refreeze, followed by fresh snow. He said this gives a solid base with fresh power on the surface.

Snow and cold

Snow is what Western Pennsylvania got last winter.

Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said nearly 55 inches of snow fell last winter in Butler, compared to 43.4 inches in winter 2013. About 36 inches is normal.

There were 18 days when more than an inch of snow fell last winter. The average is 14.4 days. For 23 days last winter, 5 or more inches of snow was on the ground. The average is 13.6 days.

It was cold last winter, too.

The average temperature in January this year was 17.6 degrees, compared to a normal of 26.8. The average for February was 23 degrees, compared to a normal of 28.9. For March, the average temperature was 28.3 degrees while normal is 36.8 degrees.

Additionally, there were 17 days in January and February where the temperature dropped below zero. The average is 5.3 days per winter.

Hendricks said last winter was in a transitional weather pattern between a La Niña pattern, where temperatures are cooler than normal, and an El Niño pattern, where it is warmer and drier.

During transitional periods, there tends to be variability with weather patterns, he said. October had above average temperatures, November had below normal temperatures and December had above normal temperatures, he said.

Of course, it was bitter cold and below average in January, February and March.

“Things kind of went south for us,” Hendricks said.

He said that there is no strong indication of the El Niño pattern right now, but he said it is predicted.

For the rest of this winter, it looks like there is an equal chance for temperatures to be above and below normal for the winter months, and there is a good chance for below normal precipitation.

“At this point, it's looking like less snow than last year,” Hendricks said.

However, he noted that forecasts that stretch beyond seven days in advance are likely to be inaccurate.

More daylight coming

The first day of winter has the fewest hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere. This is because the north pole is tilted as far away from the sun as it will be all year. In the southern hemisphere, this day has the most hours of daylight all year.

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh area was projected to get 9 hours and 17 minutes of sunlight, with sunrise at 7:40 a.m. and sunset at 4:57 p.m.

Now there will be more daylight each day until June 21, the first day of summer, which has the most hours of daylight for the northern hemisphere.

The Pittsburgh region averages about 15 hours of daylight on June 21.

Some farmers busy

Although no crops are planted during the winter, farmers still stay active.

Luke Fritz, executive director of the county Farm Service Agency, said winter starts out slowly in December, which probably is the least busy month on farms because of the holidays and hunting season.

Livestock owners will be the busiest of the farmers during the winter because they still have to feed and take care of their animals.

“The winter is a lot of work for them,” Fritz said. “If a guy has to milk cows, he's going to have to milk cows either way.”

These farmers also have to worry about keeping their equipment running during the cold. Extreme cold can cause feed to freeze. Fritz said farmers sometimes need to climb their silos several times a week to break up frozen feed.

Grain and hay farmers often spend the winter doing maintenance on their equipment, and they also will be trucking and marketing their crops.

Vegetable farmers will do similar work, and they also may begin growing items in greenhouses in March.

Winter and wildlife

Winter also brings changes for wildlife.

Regis Senko, a spokesman for the Northwest Region of the state Game Commission, said bears famously hibernate during the colder months.

“That depends on the weather. You get mild weather, they come out and take a walk,” Senko said.

Ermine weasels change color from brown to white during the winter. This change is triggered by the decreasing number of daylight hours.

This part of the winter marks the end of the deer mating season. For bucks, this means their testosterone levels drop off and they shed their antlers. Antlers begin to grow again in March or April.

For animals like cottontail rabbits, snow in winter can open up new food options since they will be able to access higher levels off the ground than they could without a few inches of snow, Senko said.

“Not all winter is bad for wildlife,” Senko said.