First Choice Emergency Room in Murphy suffered significant damage from the hail storm Wednesday, March 23. Courtesy of Kimberly Henderson.

Severe storms leave piles of hail everywhere after storms pass through the area Wednesday, March 23. Courtesy of Murphy Road Baptist Church.

Residents and business establishments are continuing to access damages after a severe storm went through the Collin County area.

In the Murphy area, First Choice ER on FM 544 suffered severe damage to their canopy and guters. The entire strip center was also damaged.

Emergencies services responded to calls for downed powers lines throughout the city and 322 houses lost power, according to Police Chief Arthur Cotten. Power was back on by 5 a.m. after it was restored by Encor.

“Several houses in the timbers area had their skylights shatters but the majority of calls we dealt with were for power outages,” the chief said. “A barn at Maxwell Creek and FM 544 also blew over.”

Cars at the police department also suffered minor damage, he said.

No injuries were reported.

In Wylie, the Walmart Supercenter on Hwy. 78 is closed for today, Thursday, March 24. According to a spokesperson for the store, almost every skylight in the establishment is broken. The store is estimated to be closed for a couple of days.

Radar indicated 2-inch hail being dropped in Murphy.

Murphy Monitor’s office, located in downtown Wylie, also suffered damage in the storm.

Prior to the hail, a tornado warning was issued for parts of Tarrant County and funnels were sighted, however, no touchdowns were reported.

The hail and associated storm dropped temperatures making Thursday see a forecast in the 60s, about a 20 degree temperature differential from the 80-degree temperatures on Wednesday, March 23. The next rain chance returns Easter Sunday.

By David Jenkins • Staff Writer • [email protected]

Hail covers the Murphy area.

Hail covers the Murphy area in a blanket of white.