[Objectives]  Monitoring the migratory behavior of Athetis lepigone is important for regional population monitoring and forecasting outbreaks of this pest. [Methods]  The migratory behavior of second generation A. lepigone moths was observed with vertical looking radar (VLR) and a vertical pointing searchlight trap reaching to high altitude in July 2016 at Yuanyang, Xinxiang, in the southern part of north China. The migration range of populations were analyzed using trajectory analysis software HYSPLIT. [Results]  Second generation A. lepigone moths were observed to take off at dusk (19:00) with peak density reached after two hours. Density decreased gradually as moths emigrated, but migration was sustained for about 12 h until 7:00 the following day. Moths generally ascended to a maximum altitude of 1 200 m above ground level (AGL) with the highest density recorded at 600-700 m AGL. In most cases, the mean longest flight time was 7.972 h per night, and the mean flying speed was 9.12 m/s. The main direction of travel was southeast and the mean maximum flight distance was 261.74 km per night. Combining wind field and migration pathways with radar data, the results indicate that the second generation of Athetis lepigone moths mainly migrate northward, and that most immigrants came from Luohe or Xuchang city, in the center of Henan province, with others coming from the vicinity of the radar observation site. [Conclusion]  This study elucidated the flight parameters and flight range of the second generation of Athetis lepigone moths in the southern part of north China in 2016.