New authorities maps show nearly the entire West is in drought and it isn’t even summer time yet: “That is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officials declared a water scarcity emergency and requested roughly 6 million residents to restrict all out of doors watering to just as soon as per week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water provides and we have been making ready for it but we did not know it could happen this fast," mentioned Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

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

"That is real. That is serious. This is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, common manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

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

Lake Mead, the most important reservoir in the nation fashioned by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a new pump to ensure water can move to Las Vegas. 

"The issue with local weather change is that it takes all the historical patterns and kind of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager advised CBS News' 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's drier, we're starting to see much less water in our reservoirs, and we've fires, and in California, there's simply this sequence of penalties that we anticipate," stated Reager.