Snow blizzards have brought the A9 to a standstill with police declaring a “major incident” as drivers battle through Storm Gerrit.
Stranded drivers have been asked to remain in their cars until the road clears.
The road is closed due to traffic stuck in both directions at Dalnaspidal, and further south towards Perth is closed between Dunkeld and Ballinluig due to flooding.
Police have declared a “major incident” in response to the ongoing travel chaos along the major Highland road and have advised drivers to remain in their cars until further notice.
They said in a statement: “Alongside partner agencies we are dealing with a number of vehicles stranded on the A9 at Dalnaspidal due to severe weather conditions.
“Drivers are asked to remain in their vehicles meantime, keep warm, and tune in to local radio or social media where further updates will be provided as soon as possible.”
Cars stuck since 10am
Motorists have reported sitting in their cars since around 10am as heavy snow has made the road impassable.
Snow ploughs and gritters are making their way along the road, but are stuck behind a queue of cars.
A Bear Scotland spokesman said:”A9 Pass of Drumochter. BEAR Teams working hard to clear the snow.”
Police are urging drivers to avoid the A9 in the Dalwhinnie and Drumochter areas.
They wrote on X: “We are aware of challenging weather conditions on the A9 in the Dalwhinnie and Drumochter areas.
“We would urge people to avoid driving on that route.”
Family forced to cut journey short
One pair of new parents, who were travelling to the central belt from Caithness, described the panic as they opted to stay in Inverness for the night with their four-month-old son.
The dad told us: “The wind was reaching about 70mph as we passed over the Berriedale Braes, with quite a lot of debris and trees on the road.
“It seems to have got worse as the day went on.
“We got into Inverness at 1pm intending it to be a pitstop for the baby, but had been told about more closures on the A9 to Perth.
“At that point we decided to stay in Inverness and try again tomorrow. There was sheer panic as we saw people being turned away by stressed hotel staff. I think a lot of people had the same idea as us.”
Storm Gerrit brings yellow weather warnings
It comes as several Met Office yellow weather warnings are in place, with up to three inches of rain and six inches of snow to fall in some parts.
Storm Gerrit has swept in across the north and north-east with snow, heavy rain and strong winds causing havoc on the roads, trains, ferries and flights.
Alongside heavy snow falling along the A9, there has also been 67mph winds at Stornoway and 61mph at Dunstaffnage, near Oban.
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