New government maps present almost the entire West is in drought and it’s not even summer season but: “This is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officers declared a water shortage emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to limit all out of doors watering to simply once every week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water provides and we've been getting ready for it however we did not know it could happen this fast," mentioned Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

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

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

California just isn't 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 flow to Las Vegas. 

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

Reager stated 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 is drier, we're beginning to see less water in our reservoirs, and we've got fires, and in California, there's simply this sequence of penalties that we anticipate," mentioned Reager.