New government maps present practically all of the West is in drought and it isn’t even summer season but: “That is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officers declared a water shortage emergency and requested roughly 6 million residents to limit all out of doors watering to simply once every week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water provides and we have been preparing for it but we didn't know it will happen this quick," said Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

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

"That is actual. This is critical. That is unprecedented," mentioned Adel Hagekhalil, common manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California will not be alone as reservoirs across the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir in the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a brand new pump to make sure water can movement to Las Vegas. 

"The issue with climate change is that it takes all of the historic patterns and sort of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager advised CBS News' Ben Tracy. 

Reager mentioned 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's drier, we're starting 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," mentioned Reager.