The first day of spring is officially behind us, meaning we finally made it through the brutal, dark and gloomy pandemic winter many Ontario residents were dreading last fall. 

In other words, summer is within reach, and a new Weather Network forecast reveals that the next few months are expected to bring warmer weather than many of the previous spring seasons Ontario has seen over the past several years. 

"As we look ahead at the rest of March, April and May, it is important to remember that spring is notorious for its changeable temperatures," reads the forecast by Dr. Doug Gillham, "and this year will be no exception."

"However, for most of Canada east of the Rockies, these alternating periods of warm and cooler weather will come close to offsetting each other or tip to the warm side of normal."

In Ontario specifically, back-and-forth temperature swings during April and May are expected to come close to offsetting each other, according to Gillham, and it's more likely we'll end up with a warmer spring than usual throughout the province.

Extraordinary spring weather continues today - sunny & temperatures typical of early May; Partly sunny & not quite as warm Tuesday w/ a breeze off Lake Ont.; Partly sunny, breezy & warm Wed. w/ showers early & late; Breezy & May-like Thursday; Soaking rain Thurs. night & Friday pic.twitter.com/zZiUXg3n2x

— Doug Gillham (@gtaweather1) March 22, 2021

"Southernmost areas have the best chance of ending up with a warmer than normal spring," he wrote. "This should give us a warmer spring than many springs in recent memory."

Of course, as it always does, spring is expected to bring some precipitation to the province, though Gillham says he doesn't expect more than the typical number of rainy days.

"A few soggy systems should tip the final numbers to the wet side of normal for parts of the region," he wrote in the forecast.

Above-average precipitation is expected for parts of central and northern Ontario, but Gillham says the risk for widespread flooding remains lower than normal this season due to the below-normal snowpack across much of the province as spring begins.

So if you enjoyed the warm, sunny weather that embraced Toronto and other parts of Ontario this past weekend, you'll be glad to know there's plenty more where that came from — and spring is only just getting started.