Ontario has finally made it through the darkest days of winter, with the hope of a warmer-than-normal spring ahead, to boot — but we still have all of February and March to get through first, which meteorologists (and Punxsutawney Phil) are expecting to serve as a firm reminder that we're not out of the season's grasp just yet.

Shifting jetstream patterns will mark a switch up from the start of the year for much of Canada, with The Weather Network calling for below-seasonal temps and conditions along the west coast, through the Prairies and, yes, into Ontario.

As more frigid air takes hold in B.C. and moves eastward, an increasingly larger swath of central Canada — including the Great Lakes Region — will see thermometers drop below average through February and March.

TWN says that most of the country will see lower temps than are typical for February and March.

As traditionally wintry as it may feel, though, TWN is saying the weeks to come won't be particularly snowy in the province compared to years past, with some 24 cm of the white stuff expected around Toronto and just over 40 cm slated for Ottawa — around seasonal for each.

(On the flip side, as warm air moves up from the U.S., border areas in Quebec and the Maritimes could see some messy, stormy moments.)

This month will also close out warmer than it started from coast to coast, albeit just marginally in Ontario. But TWN says that those in the GTA can look forward to the mercury rising above that all-important zero mark by the 28th, heralding the gradual approach of the not-so-distant warmer months.

Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) outlook for the next four weeks, though more vague, also shows colder-than-usual conditions on deck for the western and central parts of the country, as well as areas around Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and the western edge of the province.

The national outlook for the month of February from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

La Niña patterns, though, may poke holes in whatever experts are anticipating, though, with other projections saying Ontario will actually be seeing above-normal precipitation amid low-pressure systems.

Current forecasts for Toronto show highs of between -5 C and 2 C over the course of the next week (though it will feel like negative double digits with the wind), with lows as chilly as - 12 C and some chances of flurries. Spring proper starts on March 20.