'Es Ball' opens Sept 19 at 7pm in Sant Agustí, Ibiza

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Italian photographer Giuseppe Concas presents his series on Ibiza's traditional ball pagès dance at Can Curt in Sant Agustí, on show from 19 to 27 September.
• Open-Meteo forecasts thunderstorms across the Balearics this Friday, with Eivissa facing a 93 percent chance of rain.
• The Balearic government backs Aena spending to modernise and secure Palma airport but rejects increasing its capacity, according to Ultima Hora.
• Friday afternoon's heavy rain flooded several parts of Palma, Ultima Hora reports.
• Menorca's 'Sa Llum de na Naia' campaign for cancer research has rallied more than 50,000 supporters, according to Es Diari.

Today's essentials

'Es Ball' opens Sept 19 at 7pm in Sant Agustí, Ibiza. The photo exhibition 'Es Ball' by Italian artist Giuseppe Concas opens on Saturday 19 September at 7pm at the Can Curt exhibition hall in Sant Agustí (Sant Josep de sa Talaia, Ibiza), as part of the town's Día del Turista (Tourist Day), according to Periódico de Ibiza, and stays open until 27 September, Thursday to Sunday from 7pm to 9pm.

Weather today

Storms across the islands, Eivissa the wettest. Open-Meteo forecasts an unsettled Friday 18 September across the Balearics, with thunderstorms over Palma and the Pitiusas and calmer, cloudy skies inland on Mallorca.

In Palma, Open-Meteo expects thunderstorms with lows around 20 degrees and highs near 26, a 58 percent chance of rain and winds up to 15 km/h, so keep an umbrella within reach and steer clear of low-lying streets when the heaviest showers pass through.

Across the rest of Mallorca, Sóller stays overcast but quieter, between 19 and 25 degrees, with only a 28 percent chance of rain and light winds up to 6 km/h. On the other islands, Eivissa looks the wettest of all, with thunderstorms, a 93 percent chance of rain, temperatures from 20 to 25 degrees and gusts up to 17 km/h, so plan an indoor backup for the day.

Transport & traffic

• Govern backs airport upgrade, not more flights. According to Ultima Hora, the Balearic government supports Aena investing in Palma airport to 'modernise and increase security' but not to expand its operating capacity, Govern spokesman Antoni Costa said on Friday. For anyone flying in or out of Son Sant Joan, the message is that officials are not pushing for more flights or higher passenger volumes, even after another record-breaking summer of arrivals. Costa flatly denied backing any move to raise capacity, a stance also covered by Menorca's Es Diari, which sets it against the wider argument over how many visitors the islands can realistically absorb.
• The Sóller train still runs on 1912 wooden cars. The Sóller railway has been running since 1912 with the same original wooden carriages built that same year, a Reddit thread on r/mallorca points out. For residents and visitors alike, the narrow-gauge line remains one of the most charming ways to cross the Serra de Tramuntana from Palma to Sóller, a slow journey through orange groves and mountain tunnels rather than a quick commute. The wooden cars are less a transport upgrade than a living piece of island heritage, well worth factoring in when you would rather take the scenic route than the fastest one.

What's changing for you

• Palma flooding: avoid the low streets tonight. Ultima Hora reports that heavy rain on Friday afternoon caused several incidents across Palma, mostly water build-up and flooding at various points in the city. If you are out and about, keep away from underpasses and low-lying streets where water pools fastest, leave extra time on the roads, and check that the drains near your home are clear before the next band of rain arrives. With more storms in the forecast, parking your car off flood-prone streets overnight is a simple precaution worth taking.

Local news to know

• 'Sa Llum de na Naia' rallies 50,000 for cancer research. 'Sa Llum de na Naia', a Menorcan initiative born from an Instagram account set up to keep alive the memory of young Naia Llabrés Gallardo, has grown within days into a solidarity movement of more than 50,000 people supporting cancer research, according to Es Diari.
• Maó eyes a 4-euro ecotax on cruise passengers. Maó could charge a surcharge of up to 4 euros on the ecotax paid by cruise passengers docking at its port, under an amendment tabled by the Socialist group, Es Diari reports.
• Green-level coastal advisory, but for the Canaries. Meteoalarm has issued only a green, lowest-level coastal advisory for the Canary Islands, not the Balearics, meaning no significant coastal risk is currently flagged for our islands.
• Saturday back to seasonal average after the rain. The Majorca Daily Bulletin reports that Saturday 19 September should bring temperatures around the seasonal average, after Friday afternoon's downpour caused flooding on the island.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow