New government maps present almost the entire West is in drought and it’s not even summer time but: “This is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officials declared a water shortage emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to restrict all outside watering to simply as soon as per week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water provides and we've been making ready for it however we did not know it would happen this fast," mentioned Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The newest authorities maps show practically all the West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling extreme or extreme drought.

"This is real. That is severe. This is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, general manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California just isn't alone as reservoirs across the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the most important reservoir in the nation shaped by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a brand new pump to make sure water can circulate to Las Vegas. 

"The problem with local weather change is that it takes all of the historical patterns and type of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager advised CBS News' Ben Tracy. 

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

"We're simply beginning to see the dominoes fall. It's drier, we're beginning to see much less water in our reservoirs, and we've fires, and in California, there's just this series of penalties that we anticipate," said Reager.