BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Health said Thursday that a 65-year-old man who died in Rapides Parish is the first weather-related death of this wave of extreme winter weather.

The Rapides Parish man died due to hypothermia, something confirmed by the local coroner. The coroner added that the hyprothermia was brought on by the ongoing cold weather statewide.

LDH urges residents to stay safe during the cold weather, including being knowledgeable on how alcohol consumption can lead to increased heat loss.

"Drink responsibly and limit the amount of time you spend outside when the temperature is near or below freezing," LDH said.