It looks like the Auburn area's early spring has sprung a leak. The fling with sunny, dry, short-sleeve days has come to an end, as the National Weather Service forecasts rain through the weekend. It's just a wintry pattern, wet and wintry. We're still in February, so this isn't unusual, said Cindy Palmer, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sacramento. We had a nice little break but now it's time for some more wet weather. Tiffany Soderman and Heather Mauel spent Monday afternoon watching their children play in the sandbox at Recreation Park in Auburn. Soderman said that the sunny streak was a godsend that she was disappointed to see go. I don't know anybody who wouldn't want this weather, she said. It's all about the good weather, and sanity before the cabin fever sets in. It's been wonderful. We've spent a lot of time outside, mainly playing and doing yard work, getting ready for spring. Soderman said it's not as easy to keep children entertained when they're cooped up. The kids get along better when they're outside, she said. There's not a lot of things to do inside, in Auburn, for them to get their wiggles out. Mauel said the early start on spring has been nice. We just moved back from Oregon so we're happy to be in the sun and in the warmth, she said. That said, Mauel isn't too disappointed to see the return of rain. It just means we stay inside a little more, she said. Blue skies have made for busy days at Galaxie Marine Sales and Service in Newcastle. The year sort of started out slow ” who wants to think about being on a boat when it's snowing? said Jim Carius, owner. These last three weeks, there's a lot of people coming in for repairs. Now we're seeing a lot of pent-up demand. Now we're a couple weeks out on repairs. The next big rush, Carius said, will be when Folsom Lake is full enough to lift the current 5 mph speed limit for watercrafts. A little rain is a good thing, Carius said. The speed limit is 5 mph until the water level gets to 400 feet. It's currently 391 (feet) and some change. The boat business is like farming ” you want rain, but not too much. The series of storms coming through Northern California this week won't likely be enough to bring Folsom Lake up to 400 feet, but a little rainfall won't hurt. Palmer said storms could drop a quarter inch per day in the foothills, with more precipitation late this week. Friday could be up to an inch, Palmer said. The Saturday system looks like it could be a wetter one, too. This system also brings low snow levels that could reach the 2,000-2,500 feet Sunday and Monday, Palmer said. The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com, or comment online at auburnjournal.com.