The three separate crashes happened between mile markers 86.4 and 87.5 in East Havoer Township around 4:30 p.m., according to the Pennsylvania state police.
Among the 40 vehicles were a FedEx tractor-trailer and a passenger bus carrying 30 people, PennDOT officials say.
Only minor injuries were reported or suspected at the scene and victims were treated at the scene, state police say.
No serious injuries or deaths happened in these series of crashes, according to state police.
The roadway reopened around 1 a.m., according to PennDOT.
A sudden rain shower is thought to have been the cause. "The motoring public, seeing that now there's heavy rain and we can only see 50 yards, we need to slow down, turn our headlights on, create even more following distance than we did because when you have to hit the hooks on a wet roadway, bad things can happen," Trooper Dave Beohm told WGAL News 8.
But the exact cause of the crash is unclear as PSP Jonestown continues to investigate.
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