ViewOrSkip

Daylight

Empire State Building Visibility Today: Is It Worth Going Up?

The original New York skyline icon, open-air and unenclosed on the 86th.

VIEW

86/100

Go up today — 17:00–21:00 is the window worth booking. Clear skies with little cloud.

Conditions at the deck · 17:00

Temperature
29°C
Cloud
0% · low 0%
Wind
10 km/h · gusts 18
Visibility
53 km
Cloud base
9153 m ASL
Air quality
AQI 91

Open-Meteo (forecast + air quality) + METAR KLGA (New York/La Guardia Arpt, NY, US)

Altitude & cloud

Live· 17:00

Empire State Building altitude columnEmpire State Building's 86th Floor Observatory deck at 335 m has a low cloud layer measured near 9153 m, but cover is too scattered (0%) to draw as a stratum.335 m · 86th Floor Observatory396 m · 102nd Floor Observatory
Empire State Building's 86th Floor Observatory deck at 335 m has a low cloud layer measured near 9153 m, but cover is too scattered (0%) to draw as a stratum.

Best window today17:00–21:00America/New_York

Why

  • Clear skies with little cloud
  • Long, clean sightlines to the horizon
  • Blue hour just after sunset
  • Little chance of rain
  • Calm on the terrace
  • Operating status unconfirmed

Outlook · America/New_York

  • WedVIEW86
  • ThuVIEW86
  • FriVIEW87
  • SatVIEW88
  • SunVIEW80

Deck facts

86th Floor Observatory
320 m above ground · 335 m ASL · Outdoor
102nd Floor Observatory
381 m above ground · 396 m ASL · Indoor
Indicative price
from approx. US$44 — 86th floor only, plus a USD 5 booking fee (Top Deck incl. the 102nd is priced separately, from USD 79)
Local timezone
America/New_York

Is it worth visiting on a cloudy day?

The open-air 86th floor sits at 335 m — close enough to Manhattan's typical low cloud base that an overcast day is often a genuine toss-up rather than an obvious skip. The enclosed 102nd floor, 61 m higher, is the steadier bet when the sky is uncertain: both the extra height and the full enclosure work in its favour. Either way, this deck rewards checking that day's verdict rather than assuming the classic view is guaranteed.

When is the best time to go up?

The 86th floor's open-air promenade is exposed to wind, so a calmer morning or early-evening visit is more comfortable than a gusty midday hour. Sunset is the deck's signature moment and the reason most people visit — it's also the most crowded, so allow time for the queue.

Updated · Sources: Open-Meteo (forecast + air quality) + METAR KLGA (New York/La Guardia Arpt, NY, US), ViewOrSkip published-hours calendar (Tier 1, day-level, no live feed), Open-Meteo (forecast + air quality) + METAR KLGA (New York/La Guardia Arpt, NY, US)