Dataset DSI-9290 is the result of a joint effort to create a Global Synoptic Climatology Network among the Meteorological Service of Canada (Downsview, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia), Research Institute for Hydrometeorological Information, of the Russian State Committee for Hydrometeorology, Obninsk, Russian Federation, and NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Subset 9290a is a compilation of in situ hourly meteorological observations for Canada from approximately 170 active stations, which can be operationally updated from the entire list of 768 locations, and another 350 stations are updatable with a delay. The maximum period of the data span is from January 1, 1953 to February 21, 2005. Subset 9290c is a compilation of in situ hourly meteorological observations for the former USSR. The number of stations in subset 9290c varies over the period of record, with as many as 2095 stations in the entire former USSR prior to 1991; much of the most recent data is primarily from Russia (now the Russian Federation). The maximum period of the data span is from January 1, 1871 to January 1, 2001. For both subsets the data variables include sea level and station pressure, surface air temperature, water vapor pressure, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, several characteristics of cloudiness, and present weather.