While today's wintry weather may seem more like an April fools' joke than a typical spring day, a new Weather Network forecast fortunately predicts plenty of sun and fewer rainy days than usual for the coming month.

The new outlook, published Thursday and written by meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham, forecasts that warmer weather will quickly return to Ontario as we progress through the Easter long weekend following the frigid and snowy weather of April 1.

"April will test our patience at times, (especially April 1st!) but we do expect that the month as a whole will be slightly warmer than normal, and warmer than many of the April's in our recent memory," says Gillham in the forecast.

April looks to offer more changeable weather across the country, including the risk for quick shots of late winter-like conditions.

— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) April 1, 2021

Unfortunately, April isn't expected to see extended periods of record-breaking warmth the way March did, but Gillham says even slightly above seasonal temperatures will still be significantly warmer than what April has brought in recent years.

And while record-breaking warmth may not be in the cards, extended periods of pleasant spring weather do seem to be on the horizon for Ontario.

"Also, we expect fewer rainy days than normal and above normal amounts of sunshine," he says, adding that a couple of soggy systems could still result in a near-normal amount of rainfall for the month. 

The dominant wind direction during periods of sunny weather remains a critical but unknown variable for April, as it does every year according to Gillham, and this will have a major impact on the temperatures near the shorelines of the Great Lakes. 

"Residents of the Great Lakes region know that temperatures can suddenly jump or plummet by 10-20 degrees based on whether the wind is blowing off of the land or off the chilly waters of one of the Great Lakes," he says. 

So while April could still present a few surprises, it seems that — for the most part — Ontarians will continue to see pleasant spring weather following a dark and gloomy pandemic winter.