New authorities maps present almost all the West is in drought and it is not even summer time yet: “This is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented transfer, Southern California officials declared a water shortage emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to restrict all outside 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 didn't know it will occur this fast," stated Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

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

"That is real. This is severe. That is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, general manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

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

Lake Mead, the largest reservoir within the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a brand new pump to make sure water can circulation to Las Vegas. 

"The problem with climate change is that it takes all of the historic patterns and sort of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager informed 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 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 just this collection of penalties that we anticipate," mentioned Reager.