New government maps show nearly the entire West is in drought and it’s not even summer but: “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 as soon as a week.  

"We knew climate change would stress our water supplies and we've been making ready for it however we did not know it would happen this quick," mentioned Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The newest authorities maps show nearly all the West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling severe or extreme drought.

"This is actual. This is critical. This is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, basic manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California just isn't alone as reservoirs across the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the largest reservoir within the nation fashioned by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a new pump to make sure water can move to Las Vegas. 

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

Reager said the West is in a 22-year megadrought, as local weather change makes it hotter and drier. 

"We're just beginning to see the dominoes fall. It's drier, we're beginning to see less water in our reservoirs, and we've got fires, and in California, there's just this collection of consequences that we anticipate," stated Reager.