XING RWY 18L AT DFW WITH CLRNC; AN ACR MD-80 EXPEDITES THEIR XING AFTER OBSERVING AN ACR MD-80 APPEAR OUT OF THE OVCST AT 100 FT ON SHORT FINAL OF THE APCH.

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ACFT ALMOST LANDED ON TOP OF US AT DFW. WE WERE TAXIING FOR TKOF ON RWY 18R. ATC CLRED US TO CROSS 18L AT YANKEE AND TAXI TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18R. TFC ON A 2 MI FINAL. THE WX IN DFW WAS 1 SM-RA BR; ILS 18L. WE WERE ALREADY NUMBER ONE ON YANKEE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 18L; SO WE PROCEEDED TO CROSS RWY 18L. WE WERE NOT EVEN HALF WAY ACROSS RWY 18L WHEN I SAW A COMPANY MD80 BREAK OUT OF THE OVCST AT ABOUT 100 FT. WE SCRAMBLED FOR POWER TO EXIT THE RWY. WE PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE CROSSED AT ALL; BUT THAT 2 MILES OUT SOUNDED GOOD AT THE TIME. THE LOW CLOUDS AND VIS PREVENTED US FROM SEEING THE ACFT AND ATC DID NOT TELL US TO EXPEDITE ACROSS. THE OTHER ACFT SAID THEY SAW US AT 100 FT. WHEN QUESTIONED; ATC DOWNPLAYED EVERYTHING BY SAYING THAT OUR ACFT LOOKED CLR OF RWY 18L. STEVIE WONDER COULD HAVE SEEN THAT; THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: DURING CALLBACK THE RPTR SAID THAT HE LOOKED TO CLEAR FOR TFC WHEN THE XING CLRNC WAS GIVEN. NONE WAS SEEN AND THE CAPT BEGAN TO TAXI ACROSS THE RWY. LIGHTS WERE THEN SEEN COMING OUT OF THE CLOUD. THE CREW OF THE OTHER ACFT SAID; AFTER THE FACT; THAT THEY BROKE OUT AT 100 FT AND SAW THE ACFT ON THE RWY. WITH THE FO'S WARNING; MORE THRUST WAS ADDED AND THE RWY WAS CLRED IN TIME FOR THE APCHING ACFT TO PASS BEHIND AND LAND. THE RPTR'S ACFT WAS NOT HEAVY; SO THERE WAS NO DELAY IN THE TAXI AFTER THE CLRNC WAS GIVEN.