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

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officers declared a water scarcity emergency and requested roughly 6 million residents to limit all outdoor watering to only as soon as a week.  

"We knew climate change would stress our water provides and we have been preparing for it but we didn't know it will occur this fast," stated Gloria Gray, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The latest government maps show almost all of the West is in drought, and 95% of California is suffering severe 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 just isn't alone as reservoirs throughout the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the most important reservoir within the nation shaped by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a brand new pump to ensure water can movement to Las Vegas. 

"The problem with climate change is that it takes all of the historic patterns and type of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager informed 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 beginning to see the dominoes fall. It's drier, we're beginning to see much less water in our reservoirs, and now we have fires, and in California, there's just this series of penalties that we anticipate," said Reager.