Scotland is bracing itself for more snow after blizzard-like conditions hit the country on Tuesday.

Hail, snow and high winds caused delays for many commuters with the central belt, Ayrshire and Argyll the worst affected areas.

In Lanarkshire, Traffic Scotland closed part of the M74 heading southbound at around 6pm, due to wintry conditions. There have also been several minor road collisions in the Highlands and Strathclyde as motorists face treacherous driving conditions, while dozens of schools were closed.

The Met Office has now issued an amber "be prepared" warning for more heavy snow and ice.

STV weatherman Sean Batty expects more travel disruption throughout Wednesday and into the following day.

He said: "We've seen severe weather affect some parts of the country today with heavy snow showers accompanied by a strong wind, which has led to blizzard and drifting snow on high ground.

"The wintry weather is going to continue overnight with the snow showers becoming more organised at times in western, central and southern Scotland bringing longer spells of snow.

"The worst of this is expected to be across much of Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Borders and into West Lothian.

"Here there will be a spell of more persistent snow this evening, then perhaps during the early hours too.

"This will lead to awful travelling conditions, with the likes of the M77, M80, M74 and A76 being affected."

The upgraded warning is valid between 3pm on Tuesday and 8am on Wednesday.

Some rural communities may become cut off, while lightning and blizzard conditions may also create the phenomenon of "thundersnow."

Sean said: "An amber weather warning has been issued for these areas and is valid until 8am on Wednesday, as there may still be travel impacts in the morning after the overnight snow and showers continuing into the morning.

"Frequent wintry showers will continue through Wednesday, roughly affecting the same areas as today.

"There will still be a strong wind leading to blizzards on higher routes. The visibility will be poor in passing showers and ice will also be an issue for most of the country tonight and tomorrow.

"Everyone that needs to travel tomorrow should build in extra time and check with their local councils for school closures.

"A storm system will develop on Wednesday night with the worst of the winds staying south of us, but at this stage we could be in line for more heavy snow across central and southern parts of the country.

"This could have an impact on travel on Thursday morning. There will be an easing of the wintry conditions into the weekend, with quieter weather on Saturday before rain moves in from the Atlantic on Sunday."

On Tuesday morning, the snowy conditions caused tailbacks in several parts of the M8.

A jack-knifed lorry closed off the A9 at Dalwhinnie in both directions for several hours.

Police have warned motorists to avoid unnecessary travel and check their routes on Traffic Scotlandbefore setting out.

Meanwhile various CalMac ferry services have experienced disruption, cancellation or changes, with most others on alert due to the weather and liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.

Flights at Glasgow Airport were halted briefly at around 7am to allow snow to be cleared from the runway and Inverness Airport was also closed for all flights during the morning.

The Highland Council said a total of 33 schools in its area would be shut on Tuesday due to the adverse weather.

In the Falkirk council area, nine schools have been closed, with several schools also shutting in Stirling.

Many schools in North Lanarkshire announced they would be closing early due to the snow.

Meanwhile in Glasgow, some residents of the postcode areas G11, G12 and G13 reported power outages on Tuesday evening.

Scottish Power said engineers were working to restore supplies.