New government maps show nearly the entire West is in drought and it’s not even summer yet: “This is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented transfer, Southern California officials declared a water scarcity emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to limit all outside watering to only as soon as every week.  

"We knew local weather change would stress our water supplies and we have been getting ready for it but we didn't know it could happen this quick," mentioned Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.  

The newest authorities maps show nearly the entire West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling extreme or excessive drought.

"This is actual. This is serious. That is unprecedented," said Adel Hagekhalil, normal 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 new pump to make sure water can movement to Las Vegas. 

"The issue with climate change is that it takes all of the historic patterns and sort of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager instructed CBS News' Ben Tracy. 

Reager said the West is in a 22-year megadrought, as local weather change makes it hotter and drier. 

"We're simply beginning to see the dominoes fall. It is drier, we're starting to see much less water in our reservoirs, and now we have fires, and in California, there's just this series of penalties that we anticipate," said Reager.