diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-netcdf4/disable_parallel_support.patch b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-netcdf4/disable_parallel_support.patch
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6c547dd3716
--- /dev/null
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-netcdf4/disable_parallel_support.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+--- a/setup.py
++++ b/setup.py
+@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@
+        (netcdf_lib_version > "4.4" and netcdf_lib_version < "4.5"):
+         has_cdf5_format = True
+ 
+-    has_parallel_support = check_has_parallel_support(inc_dirs)
++    has_parallel_support = False
+     has_has_not = "has" if has_parallel_support else "does not have"
+     print(f"netcdf lib {has_has_not} parallel functions")
+ 
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-netcdf4/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-netcdf4/package.py
index 3749b3ec139..94eb5e1f083 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-netcdf4/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-netcdf4/package.py
@@ -44,12 +44,19 @@ class PyNetcdf4(PythonPackage):
     # https://github.com/Unidata/netcdf4-python/pull/1317
     depends_on("py-numpy@:1", when="@:1.6", type=("build", "link", "run"))
     depends_on("py-mpi4py", when="+mpi", type=("build", "run"))
-    # These forced variant requests are due to py-netcdf4 build scripts
-    # https://github.com/spack/spack/pull/47824#discussion_r1882473998
-    depends_on("netcdf-c~mpi", when="~mpi")
-    depends_on("netcdf-c+mpi", when="+mpi")
-    depends_on("hdf5@1.8.0:+hl~mpi", when="~mpi")
-    depends_on("hdf5@1.8.0:+hl+mpi", when="+mpi")
+
+    depends_on("netcdf-c")
+    depends_on("hdf5")
+    with when("@:1.6~mpi"):
+        # These forced variant requests are due to py-netcdf4 build scripts
+        # https://github.com/spack/spack/pull/47824#discussion_r1882473998
+        depends_on("netcdf-c~mpi")
+        depends_on("hdf5~mpi")
+    with when("+mpi"):
+        depends_on("netcdf-c+mpi")
+        depends_on("hdf5+mpi")
+    # We cannot build py-netcdf4~mpi ^netcdf-c~mpi ^hdf5+mpi
+    conflicts("hdf5+mpi", when="~mpi ^netcdf-c~mpi")
 
     # The installation script tries to find hdf5 using pkg-config. However, the
     # version of hdf5 installed with Spack does not have pkg-config files.
@@ -58,6 +65,14 @@ class PyNetcdf4(PythonPackage):
     # following patch disables the usage of pkg-config at all.
     patch("disable_pkgconf.patch")
 
+    # Allow building py-netcdf4 ~mpi when netCDF was build with +mpi. This patch
+    # overrides the auto-decect feature (has_parallel_support) in setup.py. The
+    # logic in setup.py changed between 1.6 and 1.7, therefore this patch only
+    # works for versions 1.7.0 and later.
+    # See also: https://github.com/Unidata/netcdf4-python/issues/1389
+    with when("@1.7:~mpi"):
+        patch("disable_parallel_support.patch", when="^netcdf-c+mpi")
+
     # https://github.com/Unidata/netcdf4-python/pull/1322
     patch(
         "https://github.com/Unidata/netcdf4-python/commit/49dcd0b5bd25824c254770c0d41445133fc13a46.patch?full_index=1",