New authorities maps show almost all of the West is in drought and it’s not even summer season but: “This is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented transfer, Southern California officers declared a water scarcity emergency and requested roughly 6 million residents to restrict all out of doors watering to simply once a week.  

"We knew climate change would stress our water provides and we've been making ready for it however we did not know it would occur this quick," mentioned Gloria Gray, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

The most recent authorities maps present practically the entire West is in drought, and 95% of California is suffering extreme or extreme drought.

"That is real. This is serious. This is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, basic manager 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 within the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, wants a new pump to make sure water can flow to Las Vegas. 

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

Reager mentioned the West is in a 22-year megadrought, as climate change makes it hotter and drier. 

"We're simply starting to see the dominoes fall. It's drier, we're beginning to see less water in our reservoirs, and we've fires, and in California, there's simply this collection of consequences that we anticipate," said Reager.