The sky brightens a little as a break in the rain bands of Tropical Storm Ernesto forms over a Polk County farm. Crystal L. Lauderdale/Tampa Tribune

By Julie Pace

8:30 a.m., Between Fort Meade and Frostproof

There aren’t many people to see on this rural stretch in Polk County, but there sure are a lot of cows. They don’t seem particularly worried about Ernesto, which isn’t surprising, considering the rain has stopped completely for the moment. In fact, some of the clouds are moving out and revealing blue skys and sunshine. We’re keeping an eye on the radar, though, which shows that there are more bands south of here, which could produce wind and rain later this morning.