New government maps show almost the entire 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 a week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water supplies and we have been preparing for it but we did not know it might happen this fast," mentioned Gloria Gray, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The latest authorities maps show practically all the West is in drought, and 95% of California is suffering severe or extreme drought.

"This is real. This is critical. This is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, basic supervisor for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California will not be alone as reservoirs across the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the largest reservoir within the nation fashioned by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a new pump to ensure water can circulation to Las Vegas. 

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

Reager stated 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 starting to see much less water in our reservoirs, and we've fires, and in California, there's just this collection of penalties that we anticipate," stated Reager.