New government maps show practically all the West is in drought and it isn’t even summer yet: “This is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officers declared a water shortage emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to limit all outdoor watering to simply once per week.  

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

The most recent authorities maps show practically the entire West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling extreme or excessive drought.

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

California isn't 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 new pump to make sure water can circulate to Las Vegas. 

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

Reager stated the West is in a 22-year megadrought, as climate change makes it hotter and drier. 

"We're simply starting to see the dominoes fall. It is drier, we're beginning to see much less water in our reservoirs, and we have now fires, and in California, there's simply this series of penalties that we anticipate," mentioned Reager.