Police said the first attack today evening was a double car bombing in a shopping area of Sadr City, a Shiite neighborhood in the east of the city, killing 31 people and wounding 34 others.
Later on in the night, another car packed with explosives detonated in the nearby neighborhood of Ur, also predominantly Shiite, killing 11 more people.
Medical officials confirmed the death toll and like police, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.