An air quality alert has been issued for Clallam and Jefferson counties.

According to the National Weather Service, smoke from wildfires in Eastern Washington and Montana will drift westward across Western Washington through tonight.

The alert is in effect from 6 until midnight tonight.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said the air quality will become unhealthy for sensitive groups late tonight and through the evening.

Conditions are expected to begin improving late tonight, NWS said, and they will improve even more Wednesday as marine air pushes inland and southerly flow aloft pushes the smoke out of the area.

Children, the elderly and individuals with respiratory illnesses are most at risk of serious health effects, according to NWS. These groups should limit or avoid time outdoors.

For more information on burn bans and the air quality in the area, visit the state Department of Ecology at www.ecy.wa.gov, Puget Sound Air Agency at pscleanair.org, Southwest Clean Air Agency at swcleanair.org, Olympic Region Clean Air at orcaa.org or Northwest Clean Air Agency at nwcleanairwa.gov.

For information on the smoke affecting the state, visit the Washington Smoke Blog at wasmoke.blogspot.com.