McALLEN (AP) – Several school districts in the Rio Grande Valley are closed after severe storms packing heavy rains and hail reported as large as baseballs battered the area.

The McAllen and Mission public schools were among districts shut Friday and National Weather Service officials were examining damage scenes where windows were broken and power knocked out.

Heaviest hail damage was around McAllen as slow-moving storms late Thursday dumped as much as 6 inches of rain in some areas and piled up hail 6 inches deep at a one site four miles north of McAllen in Hidalgo County.

Hail and heavy rain from the same storms was reported farther north in the Corpus Christi area.

The National Weather Service said a record 4.37 inches of rain was measured Thursday at the McAllen airport.

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