Water levels on the Rhine were critically high last week, after heavy rain across the catchment area and the snow melt that followed. Parts of the lower Rhine in southern Germany were closed to shipping on Friday near the chokepoint of Maxau and Speyer, the inland navigation authority said. Water levels continued to rise across the middle and lower parts of the river at the weekend but no problems were reported away from the south. The Rhine is an important shipping route in central Europe for transporting commodities. High levels mean ships and barges do not have enough space to sail under bridges. On the opposite end of the scale, the river experienced such unusually low levels during recent dry summers that some vessels were unable to sail. There are likely to be dry conditions for most of the catchment area on Monday and Tuesday but showers and persistent rain are expected in the far north. By Wednesday, rain will push across the whole of the catchment area, followed by showers, sleet and snow into the weekend, maintaining the high river levels into the Christmas period. Meanwhile, the weather in China has swung from record-breaking warmth this summer to unprecedented cold, causing at least 30 stations to break minimum temperature records for December, and a further five smashing the lowest temperature record for the year. Datong and Yunzhou reached an all-time low of -31.9C. Snowstorms last week and over the weekend, followed by an area of high pressure, have led to extreme cold across much of eastern Asia, and the low temperatures are expected to continue until at least Sunday, with signs of slightly warmer conditions into the Christmas period. Queensland in Australia is experiencing one of the most severe flooding events in its history, caused by the lingering effects of Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Exceptional amounts of rainfall have been deposited in the Cairns region of northern Queensland. In only 12 hours, two rain gauges measured an astounding 660mm (26in) of rain, surpassing the previous statewide record of 617mm set in 1972. The relentless downpours have resulted in widespread and significant flooding along the North Tropical Coast, and the Barron River, Myola, has reached its highest flood level in more than a century.