New authorities maps present practically the entire West is in drought and it’s not even summer time but: “That is unprecedented”

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

"We knew local weather change would stress our water supplies and we have been preparing for it but we did not know it would occur this fast," stated Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

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

"This is actual. That is severe. This is unprecedented," mentioned Adel Hagekhalil, basic supervisor for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

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

Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir within the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a brand new pump to ensure water can circulate to Las Vegas. 

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

Reager said 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 beginning to see much less water in our reservoirs, and we have now fires, and in California, there's just this sequence of penalties that we anticipate," said Reager.