New government maps show almost the entire West is in drought and it is not even summer yet: “That is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented transfer, Southern California officials declared a water scarcity emergency and requested roughly 6 million residents to restrict all outdoor watering to only once per week.  

"We knew climate change would stress our water provides and we've been making ready for it however we did not know it would occur this quick," stated Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

The latest authorities maps present practically the entire West is in drought, and 95% of California is suffering extreme or extreme drought.

"That is actual. That is severe. This is unprecedented," mentioned Adel Hagekhalil, common supervisor for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California is not alone as reservoirs throughout the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the most important reservoir in the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a new pump to make sure water can stream to Las Vegas. 

"The problem with climate change is that it takes all the historic patterns and form of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager advised CBS Information' Ben Tracy. 

Reager mentioned the West is in a 22-year megadrought, as climate change makes it hotter and drier. 

"We're simply starting to see the dominoes fall. It's drier, we're starting to see less water in our reservoirs, and we've got fires, and in California, there's simply this sequence of consequences that we anticipate," said Reager.