New government maps show nearly all of the West is in drought and it’s not even summer time but: “That is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented transfer, Southern California officers declared a water shortage emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to restrict all outside watering to simply once every week.  

"We knew climate change would stress our water provides and we have been getting ready for it but we didn't know it might occur this quick," stated Gloria Gray, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

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

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

California is just not alone as reservoirs throughout the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a new pump to make sure water can stream to Las Vegas. 

"The issue with local weather change is that it takes all the historic patterns and type of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager told CBS News' 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 starting to see much less water in our reservoirs, and we now have fires, and in California, there's simply this collection of penalties that we anticipate," mentioned Reager.