Ask most people what's most likely to kill you in the Alaskan wilderness and they'll say something with teeth. And yes, bears can be deadly, but the real threat is the weather.

Cold, wet conditions can cause hypothermia to settle in, and it kills more people in the Alaskan wilderness than wildlife.

Combination of cold and wet is deadly

Hypothermia causes roughly 1,500 deaths a year in the U.S., and most of those deaths don't happen in brutal, subzero blizzards. They happen in conditions that seem far less intimidating: temperatures in the 30s and 40s, with rain, wet snow, or even when sweat soaks through clothing.

This is because water conducts heat away from your body roughly 25 times faster than air. So being wet at 40 degrees can be more dangerous than being dry at 0, because water strips heat off your skin and your body’s natural heat can’t keep up. Survival experts call this "wet cold," and it's much more deadly.

In fact, per capita, 10 times more people die in Alaska from hypothermia than anywhere else in the U.S. Other northern or high-elevation states see very high per-capita rates, like Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico.

Early fall can be especially dangerous

In late September, Alaska’s short summer season begins to transition. You can easily have a nice, 50-degree afternoon that can give way to a wet, windy, near-freezing evening with very little warning. When this happens, that wet-cold combination catches people off guard.

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Know the signs of hypothermia

Maybe the most counterintuitive part of hypothermia is that the shivering stops. It seems like relief, or your body is warming up.

But it’s actually the opposite. Shivering is your body's attempt to generate heat through muscle activity; when it stops, it usually means your body has essentially given up on that strategy. Experts say that when the shivering quits is when things turn critical, and hypothermia is settling in.

You may also notice slurred speech, confusion or even clumsiness. If you or someone you know experiences these symptoms while you are in cold conditions, seek help immediately.

The key takeaway to staying safe in the Alaskan wilderness is to stay dry, dress in layers that wick moisture rather than absorb, and never mistake calm weather for safe weather, especially in a place where the temperatures can drop so dramatically.

And of course, be on the lookout for bears, because they're still very dangerous.