After Dry Start, Rains May Return To Polk

September has gotten off to a dry start, but that could be changing.

Hurricane Ike is bypassing peninsular Florida, but will generate easterly winds that will increase the chance of rain for a few days.

The National Weather Service is predicting a 50 percent chance of rain today, increasing to 60 percent and Wednesday and Thursday. Chances drop back to 40 percent Friday and 30 percent for the weekend.

So far this month there has been no rainfall recorded at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. The Division of Forestry reports 0.75 inches in Dundee, 0.1 inch at Lake Wales Ridge State Forest and 0.3 in Polk City.

Volunteers for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, a group that monitors precipitation, also report only a smattering of rain around Polk County during the first eight days of the month.