New authorities maps show almost the entire West is in drought and it is not even summer yet: “This is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officers declared a water shortage emergency and requested roughly 6 million residents to restrict all outside watering to only as soon as per week.  

"We knew climate change would stress our water provides and we have been preparing for it however we did not know it might occur this fast," mentioned Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

The most recent government maps show almost the entire West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling severe or excessive drought.

"This is actual. This is serious. This is unprecedented," said Adel Hagekhalil, general 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 in the nation fashioned by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a new pump to ensure water can circulate to Las Vegas. 

"The issue with local weather change is that it takes all the historic patterns and sort of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager told 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 starting to see the dominoes fall. It is drier, we're beginning to see less water in our reservoirs, and we've fires, and in California, there's just this collection of penalties that we anticipate," mentioned Reager.