Meerut, July 1 -- Only hours after the entire West UP went under the southwest monsoon's cover, the Meerut division witnessed incessant rain. Beginning late Sunday night, the heavy showers continued throughout Monday, recording 119 mm of rain in just 12 hours, meteorologists said. This was the highest single-day rain that the six districts-Bulandshahr, Baghpat, Meerut, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad and Hapur-in the division have seen in the ongoing monsoon season so far, they added. Dr UP Shahi, a senior meteorologist at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, said the ongoing spell of rain was likely to continue for the next few days, with more showers expected in the coming week. "This could soon turn into record-breaking rainfall for the onset of the season," he said. The first strong monsoonal wave has not only offered relief from the scorching summer heat but also raised hopes for a promising agricultural season. Dr M Shameem, a meteorologist at the Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, said the rainfall was extremely beneficial for all major crops. "The monsoon rains have rejuvenated the fields. Fodder crops, paddy saplings, sugarcane, and vine-based crops are particularly benefitting," he explained. "Farmers who were waiting to transplant paddy can now prepare their fields and start sowing without further delay." However, people in the urban areas faced some disruptions. Continuous rainfall in Meerut's Modipuram and adjoining areas flooded several roads, leading to waterlogging in the city and several rural stretches. Key affected areas in the district include Kankarkheda, Modipuram, Pallavpuram, the Delhi-Dehradun Highway, Begumpul, Delhi Road, Kesarganj, Hapur Adda, Shastri Nagar, Medical Road, and Lal Kurti. Roads and drains overflowed, causing difficulties for commuters and shopkeepers, who struggled to carry out routine activities amid rising water levels. Ashok Gupta, the in-charge of the weather observatory at Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut, confirmed that the 119 mm of rainfall was the highest the region had seen in a day in the ongoing monsoon season and the most substantial June rainfall in recent years. "Given that the last day of June has seen consistent rainfall, previous records are expected to be broken," Gupta noted....