The southwest monsoon Monday entered Andhra Pradesh and is likely to advance in the next two to three days, says the met office.

The monsoon has set in over parts of Rayalaseema region, said the state's disaster management department quoting the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

The monsoon, which touched Kerala coast Saturday, has arrived in Andhra Pradesh two days in advance.

Many places in Rayalaseema and some parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been receiving rains since Sunday.

The IMD has forecast moderate to rather heavy rain or thundershowers at many places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema and at a few places over Telangana during the next 48 hours.

It has warned that heavy rain would occur at isolated places in the districts of Chittoor, Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa of Rayalaseema and Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna, East and West Godavari of coastal Andhra Pradesh in the next 48 hrs.

Officials said Tungabhadra river in Kurnool district was in spate due to heavy rains and in the upper reaches of Karnataka.

Five people were killed in thunderbolts in Guntur district in south coastal Andhra Sunday. Four were injured in lightning near Hyderabad. Several parts of the state received rains last week under the impact of low pressure area over Bay of Bengal, providing relief from the intense
heat.

According to officials, 524 people died due to heat across the state since April 1.