First Observation of Thunderstorm Occurrences in the Lower Atmosphere by All‐Sky Meteor Radars

Abstract Thunderstorm‐related activities in the lower atmosphere are usually observed and investigated based on atmospheric weather radars. In this study, the occurrence of thunderstorms has been observed and investigated for the first time by all‐sky meteor radars, which are primarily employed in mesospheric/ionospheric observations. By applying the radar interferometry technique to a bi‐static all‐sky radar system installed on Hainan Island, China, the thunderstorm activities on 5 June 2024 were captured and tracked. The thunderstorm echoes occurred at the altitudes ∼5–20 km along the southern coast of Hainan Island, lasted for ∼2 hr, and migrated northeastward at a speed of ∼15 m/s. The occurrence time, spatial locations in both the horizontal and vertical planes, and evolution of the echoes all corresponded well with the thunderstorm development process confirmed by multiple other kinds of lower‐atmospheric observations. The study highlights the extended capability of all‐sky radars in investigating lower‐atmospheric activities, i.e., thunderstorms, which may favor the investigation on tropospheric‐ionospheric coupling process during extreme convective activities in the future.