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

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

"We knew climate change would stress our water supplies and we have been making ready 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 the entire West is in drought, and 95% of California is suffering severe or excessive drought.

"This is actual. That is severe. This is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, common supervisor for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

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

Lake Mead, the most important reservoir in the nation shaped by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a brand new pump to make sure water can move to Las Vegas. 

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