New authorities maps present practically all the West is in drought and it’s not even summer 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 out of doors watering to only as soon as a week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water supplies and we've been preparing for it however we didn't know it might occur this fast," mentioned Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

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

"That is real. This is serious. That is unprecedented," said Adel Hagekhalil, common supervisor for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

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

Lake Mead, the most important reservoir in the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a brand new pump to ensure water can circulation to Las Vegas. 

"The problem with climate change is that it takes all the historical patterns and kind of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager told 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 beginning to see the dominoes fall. It is drier, we're beginning to see less water in our reservoirs, and we have fires, and in California, there's simply this sequence of consequences that we anticipate," said Reager.