December 20, 2023
BANGKOK – Visitors to Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon mountain were treated to a stunning sight on a very chilly Tuesday morning – a grass field sparkling with a dusting of hoar frost.
In a Facebook post, the Chom Thong district administration said this was the third time that the Doi Inthanon mountaintop has been covered with frost this winter. Chom Thong district, meanwhile, has seen frosty mornings four times this year.
The authorities said the temperature on the mountaintop dropped to 5ᵒC, while the reading on the ground level was 0.3ᵒC. Meanwhile, the mercury dropped to 7ᵒC at Doi Inthanon National Park’s Kiew Mae Pan viewpoint. The reading at the park office was 11ᵒC.
Visitors flocked to the viewpoint, located at kilometre marker 42 of Chom Thong-Doi Inthanon Road, to eagerly wait for the sunrise. Their anticipation turned into joy when they were met with a picturesque white blanket of frost covering the grass on the mountain.
Hoar frost is a phenomenon where ice crystals are formed from water in the air and adhere to cooler objects. It differs from regular frost, which is formed when airborne moisture condenses into liquid water before freezing.