New government maps show almost all of the West is in drought and it is not even summer season but: “That is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officers declared a water shortage emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to restrict all out of doors watering to just as soon as every week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water provides and we have been preparing for it however we didn't know it could occur this quick," mentioned Gloria Gray, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The most recent authorities maps show almost all of the West is in drought, and 95% of California is suffering severe or extreme drought.

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

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

Lake Mead, the largest reservoir within the nation fashioned by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a brand new pump to make sure water can circulation to Las Vegas. 

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

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

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