New government maps present nearly all of the West is in drought and it’s not even summer time yet: “That is unprecedented”

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

"We knew local weather change would stress our water supplies and we have been getting ready for it however we did not know it could occur this fast," said Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The newest government maps present practically all of the West is in drought, and 95% of California is suffering severe or extreme drought.

"That is real. That is severe. This is unprecedented," mentioned Adel Hagekhalil, basic supervisor for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California is just not alone as reservoirs across the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the most important reservoir within the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a new pump to make sure 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 instructed 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 is drier, we're starting to see less water in our reservoirs, and we have now fires, and in California, there's simply this sequence of consequences that we anticipate," stated Reager.