WAS it a wetter September than usual on Phuket? You bet, if you live around Phuket City . . . but it was drier if you live in Thalang.

That's Phuket. And the word on weather for the start of October is . . . Ketsana.

The typhoon that has carved a deadly path across the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia is expected to dump on Phuket over the next couple of days.

Boats of all sizes are being warned not to venture out to sea until the remnants of killer Ketsana blow over. That's expected to take a couple of days, with waves rising to two metres.

An official storm warning is in place until October 2, with Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-nob reinforcing a weather bureau declaration that storms, flooding and landslips can be expected.

Last night, in advance of the remnants of the typhoon striking the island, a more characteristic squall ripped the roofs from eight homes in Rassada Moo 3 and Moo 5.

That left a total of 27 people needing to be found alternative accommodation. Members of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation were completing repairs to those homes today, hopefully in time to keep ceilings dry as Ketsana sweeps over.

The island's new DDPM chief, himself swept into the position by the ''monsoon'' of administrative change that takes place at this time every year, said there were about 20 critical places around the island where landslips could prove a problem.

A good dousing over the last days of September has soddened and loosened the earth, with the real whipping to come from Ketsana over the next few days.

Local tessaban councils have been advised and are ready to go into action in an emergency.

Meanwhile with hours to go, September was providing its characteristic mixed fortunes.

It's usually the island's wettest month. But whether you are dry or wet depends on where you happen to live.

In Thalang, this September so far has tallied 335.8 mm of rainfall, down on the 374mm total of 2008. But in Phuket City, it was wetter, with rainfall this year totalling 352.6mm so far compared to 295.9 last year.

The average for both is above 400mm. But then, Ketsana means this is not going to be the start of an average October. Other provinces to the north were already trying to cope with excessively strong winds this afternoon.