A peak-a-boo sun and gusty winds helped melt then dry out some of the worst frozen patches that blanketed area roadways on Monday.

Many schools and businesses closed for the Martin Luther King holiday helped keep many motorists off the freeways.

But those who did take to the highways contributed to some major snags as drivers attempted to navigate frozen overpasses along Interstate 75, Interstate 30, Interstate 20 and State Highway 183.

"There is still ice out there and the temperatures are still below freezing," said Michael Peters, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation in Fort Worth. "The conditions overall have improved, but we're not out of the woods just yet. We are not recommending travel today."

The icy conditions overnight Sunday contributed to at least one traffic fatality.

A Dallas woman died overnight after she lost control of her car on an icy bridge and slid into the path of an 18-wheeler, Garland police said.

Sonia Schultz, 24, was driving a 2003 Honda Accord in the westbound lanes of Interstate 30 at Broadway Boulevard around midnight when she lost control of the car and skidded sideways into another lane, Officer Joe Harn said.

A tractor-trailer struck the driver's side of the car and Ms. Schultz died at the scene, police said. A 35-year-old man who was a passenger in the car was taken to Baylor in serious condition, but his injuries did not appear to be life threatening, Officer Harn said.

A combination of dire warnings about street conditions and the Martin Luther King holiday kept many regular commuters off the streets early Monday.

A spokesman for Dallas Area Rapid Transit said light-rail trains ran 10-15 minutes behind most of the morning. Service on the Trinity Railway Express was 5-10 minutes behind.

"We operated at a little better than midday service at morning rush hour, which, all things considered, isn't too bad," said Morgan Lyons, a DART spokesman. "Some of those trains still have to travel over those icy bridges and overpasses."

Police departments throughout North Texas also responded to scores of minor accidents as drivers lost traction and slid out of control.

About 166 flights at Dallas Fort-Worth Airport were cancelled Monday, but officials said they hope to restore regular operations by this evening.

The early Monday icy rain also blanketed tree limbs, causing widespread power outages.

A spokeswoman for TXU Delivery said crews were responding to more than 6,000 household outages in Dallas and Tarrant counties on Monday.

Officials said windy early-morning conditions began downing some power lines that already were coated with ice.

An ice storm warning for the area has now been canceled. And although the frozen precipitation has given way to some sun, forecasters cautioned that bitter cold and stiff winds that still remain.

WFAA meteorologist Greg Fields said temperatures might make it above freezing today "if we're lucky."

But he said winds at 15-20 miles per hour make the temperatures feel like those in the teens.

Dallas Morning News staff writer Kimberly Durnan contributed to this report.