Mae Hong Son

This article is about the town Mae Hong Son. For other uses, see Mae Hong Son (disambiguation).

Mae Hong Son แม่ฮ่องสอน ᨾᩯ᩵ᩁᩬ᩵ᨦᩈᩬᩁ
Town
เมืองแม่ฮองสอน ᨾᩮᩬᩥᨦᨾᩯ᩵ᩁᩬ᩵ᨦᩈᩬᩁ
Mae Hong Son from above
Mae Hong Son
Coordinates: 19°18′4″N 97°58′12″E
Country	Thailand
Provinces	Mae Hong Son Province
Amphoe	Amphoe Mueang Mae Hong Son
Elevation	240 m (790 ft)
Population  (2018)	7,066[1]
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)

Mae Hong Son (Thai: แม่ฮ่องสอน, pronounced [mɛ̂ː hɔ̂ŋ sɔ̌ːn]) is a town (thesaban mueang) in north-west Thailand, capital of Mae Hong Son Province. It is in the Shan Hills, near the border with Burma along the banks of the River Pai. As of 2018, the town had 7,066 inhabitants.^[1] The town covers the tambon Chong Kham of the Mueang Mae Hong Son district. Mae Hong Son is 883 kilometres (549 mi) north of Bangkok and 251 kilometres (156 mi) northwest of Chiang Mai.

Mae Hong Son
"Mae Hong Son" in Thai language (top) and Northern Thai with Tai Tham script (bottom)
Thai name
Thai	แม่ฮองสอน
RTGS	Mae Hong Son
Northern Thai name
Northern Thai	ᨾᩯ᩵ᩁᩬ᩵ᨦᩈᩬᩁ (Mae Hong Son)

History

The territory of Mae Hong Son Province was formerly part of Mawkmai State, one of the Shan States which had been founded in 1767 by Hsai Khiao, hailing from a noble family of Chiang Mai.^[2]

As a result of the Anglo-Siamese Boundary Commission of 1892-93 Mae Hong Son district was ceded to Siam,^[3] but the adjacent Möngmaü and Mehsakun trans-Salween districts— also claimed by Siam as territories located on the eastern side of the Salween River— were kept as part of British Burma.^[4]

Climate

Mae Hong Son has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). Winters are dry and warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is very hot with the average daily maximum at 38.7 °C (101.7 °F). The monsoon season runs from May through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm. Mae Hong Son holds the highest temperature ever recorded in Thailand when 44.6 °C (112.3 °F) was observed on 28 April 2016.^[5]

Temperature

Climate data for Mae Hong Son (1991–2020, extremes 1951-present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	37.5 (99.5)	39.6 (103.3)	42.1 (107.8)	44.6 (112.3)	44.0 (111.2)	40.5 (104.9)	38.1 (100.6)	37.3 (99.1)	37.7 (99.9)	37.1 (98.8)	37.1 (98.8)	37.1 (98.8)	44.6 (112.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29.8 (85.6)	33.3 (91.9)	36.9 (98.4)	38.9 (102.0)	36.3 (97.3)	33.6 (92.5)	32.4 (90.3)	32.1 (89.8)	32.9 (91.2)	32.7 (90.9)	31.0 (87.8)	28.8 (83.8)	33.2 (91.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	20.8 (69.4)	22.7 (72.9)	26.8 (80.2)	30.3 (86.5)	29.2 (84.6)	27.9 (82.2)	27.2 (81.0)	27.0 (80.6)	27.2 (81.0)	26.5 (79.7)	24.2 (75.6)	21.4 (70.5)	25.9 (78.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	14.5 (58.1)	14.7 (58.5)	18.2 (64.8)	22.9 (73.2)	23.9 (75.0)	24.0 (75.2)	23.7 (74.7)	23.5 (74.3)	23.3 (73.9)	22.2 (72.0)	19.4 (66.9)	16.2 (61.2)	20.5 (69.0)
Record low °C (°F)	6.0 (42.8)	6.3 (43.3)	10.8 (51.4)	15.5 (59.9)	18.9 (66.0)	20.5 (68.9)	20.1 (68.2)	20.0 (68.0)	19.7 (67.5)	14.9 (58.8)	7.3 (45.1)	3.3 (37.9)	3.3 (37.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	11.0 (0.43)	5.5 (0.22)	19.2 (0.76)	59.6 (2.35)	168.9 (6.65)	180.1 (7.09)	226.4 (8.91)	258.5 (10.18)	200.5 (7.89)	116.8 (4.60)	39.6 (1.56)	10.9 (0.43)	1,297 (51.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	1.0	0.5	1.4	4.3	13.6	17.0	20.4	20.7	15.5	10.0	3.4	1.2	109
Average relative humidity (%)	75.8	66.3	56.7	56.0	71.0	79.6	82.5	84.1	83.1	81.7	80.2	79.3	74.7
Average dew point °C (°F)	15.7 (60.3)	15.0 (59.0)	16.1 (61.0)	19.4 (66.9)	22.7 (72.9)	23.8 (74.8)	23.8 (74.8)	23.9 (75.0)	23.8 (74.8)	22.9 (73.2)	20.3 (68.5)	17.2 (63.0)	20.4 (68.7)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	272.8	274.0	313.1	279.0	198.4	120.0	62.0	117.8	108.0	179.8	216.0	251.1	2,392
Source 1: NOAA[6][7][8]
Source 2: Thai Meteorological Department (Feb–May record highs 1951-2023 and Nov-Feb record lows 1951–2022, extremes 1981-2010)[9][10][11] Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (sun 1981–2010)[12]

Transportation

Mae Hong Son can be reached by car or bus from Chiang Mai by the Mae Hong Son loop. The town is also serviced by the Mae Hong Son Airport. It is also home to the only commercial Diesel power station in Thailand. The station has only a very small capacity of 4.40 MW (4,400 kW). It seems like it was placed here because of the remote location of the town.

Tourism

The town has some tourist infrastructure, including many guesthouses and several internet cafes. It also has a vegetarian restaurant near the main market.

It is a popular jumping-off point for tours to visit hill tribe villages, caves, and waterfalls in the area. There are also some hot springs nearby.

"Thung Dok Bua Tong" in Amphoe Khun Yuam, where the fields of wild sunflowers bloom and cover the hills during the month of November, is best reached from Mae Hong Son and lies some 80 km away.

References

1. "ร่ยงานสถิติจำนวนประชากรและบ้านประจำปี พ.ศ.2561" [Statistics, population and house statistics for the year 2018]. Registration Office Department of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior (in Thai). 31 December 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
2. Ben Cahoon (2000). "World Statesmen.org: Shan and Karenni States of Burma". Retrieved 21 December 2010.
3. Home News General - Thailand and Britain Swap Boundary Maps Archived 2015-12-25 at the Wayback Machine
4. Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 17, p. 236.
5. "Exceptional Heat Wave 2016". Meteo France. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
6. "Mae Hong Son Climate Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
7. "Mae Hong Son Climate Normals 1981-2010". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
8. "Mae Hong Son Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
9. "Record of the highest summer temperatures in Thailand between 1951 and 2023" (in Thai). Thai Meteorological Department. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
10. "Lowest temperature record during winter in Thailand between 1951 and 2022" (in Thai). Thai Meteorological Department. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
11. "Climatological Data for the Period 1981–2010". Thai Meteorological Department. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
12. "ปริมาณการใช้น้ำของพืชอ้างอิงโดยวิธีของ Penman Monteith (Reference Crop Evapotranspiration by Penman Monteith)" (PDF) (in Thai). Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department. p. 9. Retrieved 31 July 2016.

External links

• Mae Hong Son travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Training Center Mae Hong Son

19°18′4″N 97°58′12″E