Bands of rain blow in front of the Caesars Superdome on Wednesday afternoon. Image: Carlie Kollath Wells/Axios The last of Francine moved out of New Orleans early Thursday, and the sun is forecast to return in the afternoon.

By Ned Randolph NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) -Hurricane Francine threatened New Orleans and the wider Gulf Coast on Wednesday, shutting down a quarter of oil and gas production in the Gulf, while parishes across Louisiana issued evacuation orders ahead of expected pounding winds and heavy rains.