This dataset provides sub-daily, high-resolution, climate data inputs including temperature, precipitation, near surface specific humidity, incoming short-wave radiation, and near-surface wind speed over 11 states of the western USA. States included are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. These data were derived for use in the Community Land Model (CLM v4.5) and are at 3-hourly temporal and 4 x 4 km spatial resolutions for the 1979 through 2015 time period. The source for observational data was METDATA (now called GRIDMET), at a daily resolution. Modeling efforts using these data estimated annual carbon stocks, fluxes, and productivity across the western United States.