11 Tennesseans Tragically Lost to Hypothermia Since Start of 2015 NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Health is urging Tennesseans to stay warm and protect themselves, friends and family members from deadly hypothermia as another round of severe cold weather impacts the state. A preliminary review of January and February 2015 fatalities indicates more than one-third of 30 cold weather-related deaths in Tennessee have been attributed to hypothermia, caused when the body’s core temperature drops to unsafe levels. Among the hypothermia deaths that have occurred, there appear to be no unexpected or previously unidentified individual risk factors.