Agentle breeze had been tugging at the branches of a brilliantly colored tree on Central Campus on Tuesday before it finally plucked a handful of golden leaves from their perch.

The leaves fluttered in the air, dancing against a cloudless sky, before coming to rest at the feet of a student taking advantage of the perfect weather to study in the shade of the tree.

The student, Derick Lester, sophomore in liberal arts and sciences-open option, said he enjoys spending time on campus during early autumn more than any other time of year.

“Campus is beautiful right now,” he said.

“The colors are great and the temperature is mild. Not too hot or too cold.”

Although National Weather Service officials said recent high temperatures near 80 degrees are significantly higher than the average for October, the warm weather is drawing to a close.

“Right now, we’re about 10 to 15 degrees higher than the average for this time of year,” said Matt Steinbugl, meteorologist intern at the National Weather Service in Des Moines.

Steinbugl said winds from the south have brought with them warm air from Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. This is causing the rise in temperatures here in Iowa.

He said forecasts for this weekend and beyond indicate that the weather will likely cool off to seasonal norms and then return to normal.

“We’re forecasting Saturday’s highs in the upper 40s and 50s,” he said.

“There’s some indication that temperatures will return to near normal for the beginning of November.”

He said average November temperatures range from the low 50s to the mid 30s by the month’s end.

Lester said he studies outside several times a week and recommends the practice to other students.

“There should be more people lying out here on a day like this,” Lester said.

“You might attract some ants, but it’s still better than being inside.”

He said the recent sunny weather has prompted him to spend more time outside playing Frisbee golf, one of his favorite pastimes.

“I try to get in a round a day,” he said.

Dan Putnam, freshman in materials engineering, said he spends little time outside, but Tuesday’s weather proved too much for him to resist.

“I’m an indoors kind of guy,” Putnam said as he studied outside Beardshear Hall. “It takes a lot to get me outside, but this is awesome.”

He hadn’t studied outside before but would do so again if the sunny weather continued, he said.

“It’s quite nice out here,” he said.

“If you find a place with some trees, the wind won’t bother your papers. The weather really is perfect for sitting around outside.”

Other ISU students say they will miss these warm stretches once the temperatures drop for good.

“I really like this time of year,” said Sarah Foster, senior in mechanical engineering.

“It’s my favorite time of year on campus, and I’ll hate to see it go.”

Foster said the warmer temperatures give her a chance to get outside and participate in sports.

“I like to play soccer and go for walks, things like that,” she said.

“The temperature’s trying to get a little cooler, but it’s still sunny, so it’s about right for outdoor things.”