12:00a.m. 23rd November 2008

| By AAP

South-East Queensland residents breathed a sigh of relief last night when storms, which threatened to lash the area for the fourth time in a week, failed to materialise.

The weather bureau had predicted another vicious night, with winds up to 90kmh, but its severe weather warning was cancelled about 6pm.

Gusty conditions, including winds of between 50kmh and 70kmh, were still expected to arrive during the night and to continue today but the bureau was not expecting major damage.

The winds began picking up in the Stanthorpe region earlier in the day.

“She’s pretty windy up here at the moment,” one resident said at 3.30pm.

“The storms kind of brew here, and we see some magnificent lightning shows, but they brew here and then head east.”

Despite the winds continuing to pick up closer to the Coast, the lack of storms was good news for the thousands of rugby league fans attending the grand final of the World Cup at Suncorp Stadium.

However, three women were hurt in two accidents blamed on the wind, both involving falling trees.

Despite the lack of major damage, Energex spokesman Mike Swanston warned there was still the chance of power interruptions caused by fallen power lines.

The state government activated disaster assistance for another five local government areas, bringing the total to 13.

The Damage:

4200 homes and businesses damaged

51 homes deemed unliveable

22,658 calls made to the SES

2629 SES jobs completed

16,000 insurance claims worth $140 million

Rainfall:

Brisbane:232mm

Ipswich: 264mm

Gatton: 244mm