The Roanoke drought began in 1586 and also hit Ralph Lane's first colony

Found 25 October 2026. In the many-site atlas the extreme drought runs 1586 to 1588, a year earlier than the usual 1587 to 1589, with the winter-spring of 1586 at 57 percent of normal rain. Ralph Lane's first colony (1585 to 1586) ran short of food, quarrelled with the Secotan over corn, and left with Drake in June 1586. The drought may be part of that story too. To check: whether Lane's or Hariot's accounts mention dry weather, and whether this has already been noted.