Minnesotans bummed out by bitter March

Sure, we know it's supposed to be cold in Minnesota in March.

But it's nice this time of year to at least get a little taste of spring – and this March didn't offer that. Monday's snow, followed by biting cold, were a nasty one-two punch for state residents already staggering after a long winter.

“This is not acceptable. And like everybody, even friends who are big fans of winter, are just kind of bored with this now,” one resident, Jeff Stubblefield, told WCCO.

Wednesday is the official start of spring, but temperatures in many places around the state will fall below zero Tuesday night with highs in the teens Wednesday, KSTP reports.

It has already snowed about 13.5 inches this month in the Twin Cities, about 3 inches above average, and temperatures are expected to be below normal for the rest of March. It doesn't help that forecasters keep reminding us that Minnesota was breaking records with high temperatures at this time last year.

It's gotten to the point where gray skies and gloomy forecasts are clouding the moods of Minnesotans, the Star Tribune reports. Several psychiatrists tell the newspaper that a long winter can contribute to depression. And a travel agent tells the newspaper that cheap trips to warmer climates are gone – flights out of the Minnesota gloom are booked up.

A lingering winter is drag for some businesses, too, KARE 11 reports. Bags of freshly delivered gardening soil are now sitting under snow at Pellicci Ace Hardware, KARE reports.

“Some people say, ‘It’ll pass,’ and it will,” St. Cloud child care center owner Virginia Guggenberger, who is yearning for warm weather, told the St. Cloud Times. “But before you know it, summer will be gone, and winter will be back again.”