New government maps present almost all the West is in drought and it isn’t even summer time yet: “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 simply once a week.  

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

The newest government maps present nearly all the West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling extreme or excessive drought.

"This is actual. That is serious. That is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, basic supervisor 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 shaped by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a brand 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 kind of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager advised CBS Information' Ben Tracy. 

Reager mentioned the West is in a 22-year megadrought, as local weather 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 have now fires, and in California, there's just this series of penalties that we anticipate," mentioned Reager.