  The Pierre Auger Observatory have reported [1-3] observation of several
exotic cosmic ray -like events which apparently related to thunderstorms. These
events are much larger in size than conventional cosmic ray events, and they
have very distinct timing features. A possible nature of the observed
phenomenon is still a matter of active research and debates as many unusual
features of these exotic events are hard to explain. In particular, the
frequency of appearance of these exotic events is very low (less than 2
events/year), in huge contrast with a typical rate of a conventional lightning
strikes in the area. We propose that the observed exotic events can be
explained within the so-called axion quark nugget (AQN) dark matter model. The
idea is that the AQNs may trigger and initiate a special and unique class of
lightning strikes during a thunderstorm as a result of ionization of the
atmospheric molecules along its path. The corresponding AQN-induced lighting
flashes may show some specific features not shared by typical and much more
frequent conventional flashes. We support this proposal by demonstrating that
the observations[1-3], including the frequency of appearance and time duration
are consistent with observations. We also comment on possible relation of AUGER
exotic events with the Telescope Array bursts and the terrestrial gamma ray
flashes. We list a number of features of the AQN-induced exotic events (such as
specific radio pulses synchronized with these events) which can be directly
tested by future experiments. We also suggest to use distributed acoustic
sensing instruments to detect the acoustic pulses which must be synchronized
with AUGER exotic events.
