PBS’s ‘NOVA’ set to premiere new episode, ‘Rain Bombs’

“NOVA,” PBS’s long-running science series, will feature the weather phenomenon known as “rain bombs” on an upcoming episode airing at 8 p.m. on April 22, 2026, for Earth Day. “NOVA” sets out to discover why these wet microbursts occur and how meteorologists can better predict them.

Mike Olbinski, a local storm chaser and professional photographer, joined “Arizona Horizon” to talk about “rain bombs.”

“In reality, a lot of us say we’re chased by the storm most of the time, especially when it’s supercells and tornados and tennis-ball-sized hail,” Olbinski said. “Even the haboobs we’ve seen coming, I’m usually trying to stay ahead of them.”

On bright, sunny days when the public is being informed by meteorologists that a storm will be coming later that day, Olbinski and storm chasers like him look at models, the national weather service discussions and years of on-the-job experience to know what to look for. More importantly, he knows what storm to chase when atypical weather does appear.

“It comes down to instinct,” Olbinski said. “Especially here [in Arizona], the monsoon is a tough thing to chase.”

Monsoons in Arizona begin in June and last until the end of September, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Monsoons typically bring higher humidity, thunderstorms and heavy rain.

Olbinski added, “I was doing the big dust storm we had last year, August 25. I was down north of Tucson watching this downburst happen, and I look to my right and see this faint wall of dust emerging from the distance. And I’m like, ‘That’s it.'”

Olbinski recorded his experience chasing the haboob that began in Pima County and ripped through Maricopa County and even southern parts of Yavapai County in a 17-minute vlog.

Arizona is not the only place Olbinski storm chases, as he typically goes to the Great Plains area during tornado season, which begins around April.

“I chase May and June, that’s the heart of the season, and then come home in July and chase [in Arizona] all the way until October,” Olbinski said.

To learn more about storm chasers and Olbinski’s experiences with microbursts, watch NOVA “Rain Bombs” at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.