New government maps show nearly all the West is in drought and it is not even summer time but: “That is unprecedented”

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

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

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

"That is actual. That is critical. This is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, general supervisor for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California just 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 brand new pump to make sure water can stream 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 informed CBS News' Ben Tracy. 

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

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