New government maps present practically all the West is in drought and it isn’t even summer season but: “That is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officials declared a water scarcity emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to limit all outdoor watering to simply once per week.  

"We knew climate change would stress our water supplies and we have been preparing for it however we didn't know it might occur this quick," said Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

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

"This is real. This is serious. This is unprecedented," mentioned Adel Hagekhalil, common manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California shouldn't be 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, needs a brand new pump to ensure water can movement to Las Vegas. 

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

Reager said 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 beginning to see much less water in our reservoirs, and now we have fires, and in California, there's just this collection of consequences that we anticipate," said Reager.