Students normally sport flip-flops and tank tops around campus in August and September, but by November, snow boots and parkas are the garments du choix.

However, this week's unseasonably high temperatures have given many people an extra opportunity to again wear summer gear and abandon their books for some fun in the oddly-warm November sun.

Jasper Ho (sophomore-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) and Eric Lalande (sophomore-psychology) spent the afternoon playing Frisbee with their friends on the HUB lawn.

"I think [the weather] is a nice change; I like the randomness of it," Ho said. "I can wear my sandals again."

Lalande added the weather was strange, but pleasant.

"I think it's a little odd, with the cold streak we had," he said, "but I'm not disappointed."

Some students, like Megan Fetzer (junior-psychology), enjoyed the weather without neglecting their studies. Fetzer took her books outside to finish her work on Old Main lawn.

"It's gorgeous. It's freaking me out because I was just getting my sweaters out," she said.

Jonathan Porter, a spokesman for the Campus Weather Service, said yesterday's temperature tied the Nov. 3 record high of 76 degrees, set in 1982. Overnight temperatures have also been unseasonably mild at around 53 degrees -- the normal daytime high for November, he said.

A high-pressure system off the East Coast helped bring the unusually warm air through Happy Valley, allowing temperatures to reach the record warmth.

Signs outside stores like Irving's Bagels, 110 E. College Ave., and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, 124 S. Allen St., still advertised coffee and hot chocolate as relief from the wintry weather.

Yesterday, though, the Ben and Jerry's sign advertised 50 percent off hot drinks, partly because of the weather.

"When the weather is nice, we sell more ice cream," said store manager Bill Reynolds. "Some things slow down [in winter], so we tried to compensate by selling coffee drinks."

Sara Fingeret, a manager at Panera Bread, 148 S. Allen St., said the store's increased sales this week had more to do with the Penn State football game against Ohio State than the weather.

But she admitted the weather sometimes plays a role in business.

"Weather has a strange effect on our store, and it's never consistent," she said. "When it rains, we're either really busy or really slow, and when it's warm outside, it's the same way."

Melissa Clay, a supervisor at Starbucks Coffee, 232 W. College Ave., said she has not seen an increase in business, but rather a shift in sales from hot coffee to cool beverages like frappuccinos and iced coffee.

While Starbucks keeps tables outside to accommodate smokers year-round, Clay said most customers usually don't use them in the fall and winter.

"There's usually snow outside in November," she said with a laugh.

Business at Mio Zio, 132 W. College Ave., was about 25 percent higher than usual yesterday, store manager Zachary Penrod said.

"People are a little bit happier when it's warm out. They come in, not so much seeking refuge [from the cold], but more to enjoy themselves," he said.

He also said the types of foods people buy are different depending on the weather. Salads and fruit are more popular than soups and hot dishes when the temperatures rise.

"It's been insanely crazy all day," said Benjamin Holsinger (junior-communications arts and sciences), an employee at the University Creamery.

Students and local businesses should not get used to the weather, though. Porter said a cold front is expected to move through the area by Wednesday, causing temperatures to return closer to the November average in the mid-50s by Thursday and Friday.