Bon dia. While València had only mild rain, La Safor and Marina Alta were hit hard by the weekend DANA, a cold-air weather system that brings sudden, intense rain, with up to 200 liters per square meter. The storm is expected to ease by Monday evening, but the city remains under an Orange Alert for rain. Parks are closed and outdoor activities have been suspended.
And a reminder: Clocks will fall back one hour on Sunday morning at 03:00.
News at a glance
- Monday, 19 October: Storm causes travel chaos. Orange alert for Valencia continues
- Sunday, 25 October: Clocks fall back one hour at 03:00
- Saturday, 31 October: DANA anniversary protest at Plaza del Ayuntamiento
- Monday, 2 November: Christmas lights switch-on, as early as this date
- Sunday, 29 November: General election
City & Environment
DANA floods La Safor and Marina Alta
La Safor and Marina Alta took the brunt of the weekend storm, Valencia Plaza reported. Up to 200 l/m2 fell in Real de Gandia and Rafelcofer, causing flooding and closing schools on Monday. The storm also triggered transportation chaos as Renfe closed several lines, causing multiple delays. Forecasts said the rain would continue there until the afternoon.
Read in Spanish: La dana Adam deja una fallecida, dos trombas de más de 300 litros y un caos en Renfe (Las Provincias)
Can a 2024-scale DANA happen again?
Patricova, the flood risk prevention plan for the València area, presented its findings on Thursday, Valencia Plaza reported. Its experts explained that a once-in-2,000-years storm can happen again, and called for more investment in flood prevention infrastructure.
Read in Spanish: ¿Puede repetirse la Dana de 2024? Qué significa una inundación con un periodo de retorno de 2.000 años (Valencia Plaza)
For more background on the risk of these seasonsla storms, read our explainer: Valencia and DANA: What Every Resident Should Know
City & Politics
Victims call protest for DANA anniversary
Organizers called a large protest for 31 October, two years after the DANA flood disaster that killed more than 230 people, Las Provincias reported. Families of victims are demanding justice and have called for the prosecution of Carlos Mazón, then president of the Generalitat (the regional government), over his handling of the response. Protesters will gather at Plaza Virgen and then walk to Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where the housing protest encampment stands.
Read in Spanish: Las asociaciones de víctimas llaman a la sociedad a manifestarse en el segundo aniversario de la dana: “No vamos a desistir” (Las Provincias)
Supreme Court suspends overseas votes under “grandchildren’s law”
El País reported on a Uruguay-born Spanish citizen who voted in 2023 and says he is now barred. The court said the rise of about 408,000 voters on the overseas roll since 2023 could undermine confidence in the count. Citizenship is not affected, only voting rights, and the Supreme Court has yet to say how the suspension applies to the 29 November general election.
Read in Spanish: El veto del Supremo a la ‘ley de nietos’: “Voté en 2023, pero ahora me lo prohíben” (El País)
Politics pushes early Christmas lights
Mayor Catalá moved the Christmas lighting forward to as early as 2 November, before the 29 November elections, Valencia Plaza reported. The paper linked the decision to pressure from the housing protest camp in Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Read in Spanish: Catalá adelanta a principios de noviembre el encendido de luces de Navidad con la incógnita de la acampada (Valencia Plaza)
City & Economy
IMF raises Spain’s growth forecast
The IMF forecast Spain’s growth at 2.5% for 2026, the fastest among Europe’s major economies, the site Democrata reported. It also warned of growing global economic instability and put inflation at 3.7%. Unemployment stands at 9.8%, higher than the eurozone average, and wages have barely moved.
Read in English: The IMF improves the growth forecast for Spain in 2026 to 2.5% and places inflation at 3.7% (Democrata)
New homes in València now cost more than in Lisbon
Las Provincias reported on a UPV (Universitat Politècnica de València) study that found new homes in València cost more than in Lisbon or Budapest. The study said a lack of new builds has doubled the price per square meter, and the city’s growing popularity adds to the shortage.
Read in Spanish: Una casa nueva en Valencia ya es más cara que en Lisboa o Budapest: la falta de oferta duplica el precio del metro cuadrado (Las Provincias)
City & Life
New fines for waste disposal take effect
Fines of up to 3,000 euros now apply in València for leaving trash or waste in undesignated areas, or for not sorting waste into the correct containers. The measure is an attempt to manage the city’s growing trash problem. For large items, call 010 or use the Ayuntamiento app to request a free pickup of bulky materials to be recycled or discarded.
Read in Spanish: València inicia la fase sancionadora para hacer cumplir la nueva ordenanza de limpieza (Ayuntamiento)
Spring “megavacation” for 2027
Schoolchildren in Valencia will get a “megavacation” in 2027 because the Fallas and Easter holidays fall back to back, Las Provincias reported. Schools close on 12 March for Fallas, followed by only three days of classes before the Easter break.
Read in Spanish: Las ‘megavacaciones’ de primavera para los niños de Valencia (Las Provincias)
City & Security
Crime falls in València, rises in surrounding towns
Las Provincias reported, based on the latest data, that crime fell in the city but rose in the metropolitan area, with drug trade and car theft increasing in parts of L’Horta Nord and inland towns such as Picassent. The paper gave two reasons: a police chief installed last year has cracked down, organizing raids and notifying the press in advance, pushing some networks further out, and the city is growing outward with crime following the population.
Read in Spanish: El delito se muda a los pueblos: menos infracciones en Valencia y se disparan en el área metropolitana (Las Provincias)
Cabanyal residents demand more police patrols
Residents of the maritime neighborhoods are asking for more police presence to control a surge in drug use on the streets. Residents interviewed by Levante-EMV said the drug trade surged over the summer, with known dealers delivering drugs openly on the street. Some residents have begun documenting the deterioration on their phones, and Las Provincias has reported drug use right next to a school.
Read in Spanish: Narcomóviles, ‘telepollo’ y agresiones sexuales en la playa: el Marítimo de València pide más presión policial (Levante-EMV)
Explosives robbery network arrested
Las Provincias reported that police arrested several members of an armed robbery network that used explosives to blow up ATMs. Further investigation linked the group to another network specializing in ramming vehicles into stores and looting them within minutes, including València’s Apple store in 2024. The paper reported that some of those arrested are relatives or “apprenticed” with earlier criminal networks.
Read in Spanish: Los herederos de la banda que asaltó la tienda de Apple en Valencia: alunizajes en joyerías y asaltos a cajeros con explosivos (Las Provincias)
City & Culture
New Fallera Mayor chosen for 2027
Beatriz Blanco was named Fallera Mayor de València (the woman chosen to represent the city’s Fallas festival) for 2027, and Julia Vizcayno was named Fallera Mayor Infantil, Levante-EMV reported. The paper published video of Blanco in tears as she took the phone call. Her falla, Castellón-Segorbe, had not had a Fallera Mayor in 43 years, and it was the first time for Falla Rosario to have a Fallera Mayor Infantil. The other falleras form the court that attends events with her until La Crema, the final night of Fallas.
Read in Spanish: La Fallera Mayor vuelve con Beatriz Blanco a Castellón-Segorbe tras 43 años, mientras a Falla Rosario se estrena con Julia Vizcayno (Levante-EMV)
Treasure hunt game explores Valencia’s “orange gold rush”
A new treasure-hunt game takes players through the city’s “orange gold rush,” an al-Andalus tradition in which gold-coated oranges were hidden around the city, Valencia Plaza reported. Players solve puzzles at shops in Cabanyal, Benimaclet, Ruzafa, Gran Via and La Saïdia. The game aims to reconnect the community with small, traditional businesses. It runs until 28 October in Spanish and Valencian.
Read in Spanish: Un ‘escape room’ por Valencia sobre la fiebre del oro naranja: la iniciativa que conecta comercio local y vecinos (Valencia Plaza)
One last thing …
For a listen with election vocabulary, Hoy en EL PAÍS looks at how Spain will vote on 29 November. Marc Bassets, El País’s opinion editor, explains how the far right is advancing in Spain and puts it into context with similar trends, from Italy to Germany, and Brazil to the United States.
Listen in Spanish: El mundo en el que votará España: “La extrema derecha avanza, pero no es una partida decidida” (El Pais)
