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Weather forecaster Augie Auer used to fly planes into hail storms, and most recently weathered the scientific storm over his controversial claims about climate change.
He survived both, but died in Melbourne on Sunday night while dining with relatives to celebrate his 67th birthday and 35th wedding anniversary. It is thought he suffered a heart attack.
Son Andy Auer said his father had had heart problems in the past, but his death had come as a total shock.
Daughter-in-law Jo Auer described him as a brilliant man who loved his family and career.
Auer was best known for his affable manner and colourful take on all things weather.
He was so good at communicating weather to the public that TV3 snapped him up as its weather presenter.
News and current affairs chief Mark Jennings admitted he was not particularly bothered about weather reports but after hiring Professor Auer he could see how they could be made interesting.
"He was a unique blend of a weather expert and a huge personality ... the ultimate weatherman."
The jovial professor loved his broadcasting job and would be planning his quirky on-air wit from the moment he got up.
However, he proved a little pesky in the wardrobe department, insisting on wearing fawn trousers and ties of his choice to the stylist's despair.
Jennings said Auer was also very competitive and tried hard to get the better of TV One's rival weatherman Jim Hickey.
MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said Auer was chief meteorologist when the pair worked together in the 1990s.
Auer had pioneered mesoscale and severe weather forecasting programs, looking at intense weather incidents such as thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail dumps.
Mr McDavitt said in Auer's early career in the United States, where he was born, he would fly planes into hail storms for research.
"He was one of the original storm chasers."
Auer always had a great way of explaining the weather, said Mr McDavitt.
"He added some vim to the whole proceedings along with a little grin on his face."
Jim Salinger, principal scientist of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, was also a former colleague of Auer at the old Meteorological Service in Wellington.
He said Auer had specialised in researching ice in clouds and was always looking to improve weather forecasts.
"He was an affable and genial person, a great and colourful communicator who made noteworthy contributions to the public understanding of weather.
"I can always remember him talking about cold sou-westers as commando raids of cold air blitzing the south, so he always had a good turn of phrase that made it memorable."
The two scientists had differed on the causes and consequences of climate change which Dr Salinger described as "vigorous discussions".
Following the transfer of climate science issues to Niwa in 1992, Auer became increasingly critical of the institute's statements.
An academic in agreement with him was atmospheric scientist Chris de Freitas, of Auckland University.
They shared the view that while human activity was affecting the global climate it was not to a dangerous level.
"We weren't climate change alarmists," Dr de Freitas said.
He said Auer was an informed, articulate and brave scientist who had been active in his retirement.
"He was in great demand as a speaker because of his effervescent personality ... and it takes a lot of guts to stand up and air views not seen to be that politically correct, because personal attacks and abuse were not uncommon, yet Augie never let that bother him."
Owen McShane, who with Auer was a co-founder of the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition to challenge official pronouncements about man-made global warming, said his death was a loss to everyone in New Zealand who had a regard for truth and the role of science.
"Augie was greatly feared by the 'warmists' because he was able to combine a wealth of scientific knowledge and experience with a personable way of explaining the complex issues involved in a way that ordinary people could understand."
Augie Auer
* Professor of atmospheric science at the University of Wyoming for 22 years.
* 1990: Emigrates to New Zealand, becoming chief meteorologist.
* 1998: Becomes TV3's weekday weather presenter.
* 2002: Moves to new role as the network's resident meteorologist.
