New authorities maps present practically all the West is in drought and it is not even summer season but: “This is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officers declared a water scarcity emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to limit all outside watering to just once every week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water provides and we've been getting ready for it but we didn't know it would occur this fast," said Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The latest government maps show nearly the entire West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling severe or extreme drought.

"This is actual. This is severe. This is unprecedented," mentioned Adel Hagekhalil, general manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California shouldn't be 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 brand new pump to make sure water can flow to Las Vegas. 

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

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

"We're just beginning to see the dominoes fall. It is drier, we're beginning to see less water in our reservoirs, and we now have fires, and in California, there's just this collection of penalties that we anticipate," mentioned Reager.