New government maps present practically all of the West is in drought and it isn’t even summer season but: “This is unprecedented”

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

"We knew local weather change would stress our water supplies and we've been preparing for it however we didn't know it could happen this fast," stated Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The most recent government maps present practically all of the West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling extreme or extreme drought.

"That is actual. This is serious. That is unprecedented," mentioned 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 largest reservoir in the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a new pump to make sure water can circulation to Las Vegas. 

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

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

"We're simply 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 collection of penalties that we anticipate," said Reager.