New authorities maps show practically all the West is in drought and it’s not even summer but: “That 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 only once a week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water supplies and we've been getting ready for it however we didn't know it might happen this quick," mentioned Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The newest government maps show almost the entire West is in drought, and 95% of California is suffering extreme or excessive drought.

"That is actual. That is critical. 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 biggest reservoir in the nation shaped by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a brand new pump to ensure water can circulation to Las Vegas. 

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

Reager said 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 beginning to see much 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.