A storm rolling up the east coast is projected to drop as much as a foot of snow on parts of New England, and it's already knocking out power along the eastern seaboard..

There will be, apparently, no respite from major weather events. It feels like only weeks since the seaboard was slammed by Hurricane Irene and its remnants, and only a little longer since last winter's epic snowfalls. But the winter weather is back.

It's already icky in greater Washington, The Washington Post reports, with a wintry mix "battering" Virginia and the capital. Those areas avoiding snow are instead "enjoying a really cold rain," The Post reports, with cheery menace.

They're bracing for worse up north. Massachusetts and Connecticut officials have activated plans for major snow-clearing, and the Boston Globe reports that officials expect six inches of snow in Boston, and as many as 12 inches in the western end of the state.

Just weeks removed from Irene, that could also mean the return of widespread power outages, and utilities are also unveiling emergency plans.

Update: The nor'easter has knocked out power to roughly 19,000 homes already in Massachusetts, with the bulk of the snowfall not expected until later Saturday night.

The Globe says the storm could drop 14 inches of snow in the Berkshires, and has provided a renewed push to clear out protesters in the Occupy Boston encampment.

 

Forecasters at the National Weather Service say the storm could leave up to foot of snow in the Worcester area and much as 14 inches in the Berkshires by the time it's over Sunday. Boston could see up to five inches of snow, as well as wind gusts approaching 50 mph.

The forbidding forecast had Boston Mayor Thomas Menino urging Occupy Boston activists who've been camped out on a downtown square for weeks in an anti-Wall Street protest to leave for the night.

"I'm concerned about the tents blowing over," Menino said.

Is the storm becoming a headache for politicians? Well, let's take a peek at the Twitter feed of Cory Booker, mayor of Newark:

Pretty sure that's a yes.

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Ted Mann