This story has been updated to reflect crash numbers as of 9:30 a.m. and include details on a fatal crash.
Rainy roads made for a messy commute Tuesday morning, with a number of crashes further complicating conditions for drivers.
An 18-wheeler crashed going over Interstate 35E on westbound Interstate 635, shutting down two left lanes while crews attempted to tow the truck away from the scene.
The truck appeared to be partially hanging over the guardrail.
Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said the agency responded to at least 42 vehicle crashes between 5 and 9:30 a.m.
At least one of those was fatal, officials said.
MedStar had responded to 22 crashes with injuries since midnight Tuesday in the Fort Worth area. In comparison, MedStar responded to four crashes with injuries on Monday between midnight and 8 a.m.
Several flights had been delayed at DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field, but the weather did not appear to be having a wide impact on air travel.
The rainy weather is expected to continue through about 10 a.m. Tuesday with some showers lingering later in the day.
While spotty sleet or snow is possible, most wintry weather chances will come to an end.
TxDOT crews had preemptively treated roadways and bridges with a brine solution Monday in anticipation of the wintry weather, the first time it had done so this season.
Val Lopez, of TxDOT’s Fort Worth division, said there is the potential for some bridges and overpasses to be slick during the Tuesday morning commute, but nobody needs to panic.
He instead said drivers need to “drive for the conditions that are present.”
“Leave plenty of space between you and the car in front of you,” Lopez said, “and slow down.”
The rain actually doesn't wash away the brine. The moisture will help the brine do its job.
"What we want to do with the brine is we want to apply it, we want it to dry," Lopez said. "Once precipitation falls, whether it's rain or sleet or freezing rain, it dilutes that dried brine that's on the roadway and that lowers the freezing point of that water."
In turn, that keeps the roads as ice-free as they can be.
