Tonight could be coldest of the season so far -- followed by a brisk, sunny Election Day

By Melissa M. Werthmann, Globe Correspondent

The coldest weather of the season so far is expected in Massachusetts tonight, but a warmup is expected Election Day when temperatures are expected to reach the 40s with only minimal wind.

The western part of the state will have to brave temperatures in the upper teens in the overnight hours, said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton, while in Boston, it will drop to about 30 degrees.

But Simpson also said the overnight cold will fade on Election Day. Skies will be sunny and temperatures will recover and reach the low 40s, fine weather for voting, no matter what your political persuasion.

On Wednesday, the day after the election, the calm weather will end.

A “classic nor’easter” will hit New England from then into Thursday, stirring up strong winds, coastal flooding, heavy rain, and wet snow across inland communities, said Simpson.

“It certainly won’t be like [Hurricane] Sandy, but you could see wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour near the coast,” he said. Winds could be as strong as 50 miles per hour on the Cape and islands.

The storm will dump 1½ to more than 2 inches of rain on Boston, and areas west of Interstate 495 could get hit with heavy, wet snow, he said.

The Berkshires and southwestern New Hampshire will likely see snow, Simpson said.

“The heavy accumulation will be at higher elevations,” he said.

The precipitation will likely start falling Wednesday evening and continue through Thursday night, the weather service said. The same storm will likely afflict areas of New York and New Jersey that are already reeling from being battered by Sandy.

The weekend, including Veterans Day, will be sunny and dry with temperatures in the 50s, the weather service said.