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

In an unprecedented transfer, Southern California officials declared a water scarcity emergency and requested roughly 6 million residents to limit all outside watering to simply as soon as a week.  

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

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

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

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

Lake Mead, the most important reservoir within the nation fashioned by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a new pump to make sure water can movement to Las Vegas. 

"The problem with climate change is that it takes all the historical patterns and form 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 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 just this sequence of penalties that we anticipate," stated Reager.