diff --git a/docs/source/install.rst b/docs/source/install.rst
index 23001987..29edcd02 100644
--- a/docs/source/install.rst
+++ b/docs/source/install.rst
@@ -155,6 +155,10 @@ Compile PyCLES::
 
 $ CC=mpicc python setup.py build_ext --inplace
 
+.. note::
+    setup.py looks for netCDF4 libraries at the location specified at `$NETCDF_HOME`. Make sure that `$NETCDF_HOME` is set before building,
+    otherwise it will use the default of `/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a`
+
 .. note::
     In the above command, mpicc should be replaced by the name of your MPI C compiler.
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 27b3f5c8..b8109ae5 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -57,9 +57,18 @@ def get_netcdf_prefix():
     extra_compile_args+=['-std=c99', '-O3', '-march=native', '-Wno-unused',
                          '-Wno-#warnings', '-Wno-maybe-uninitialized', '-Wno-cpp', '-Wno-array-bounds','-fPIC']
     extra_objects=['./RRTMG/rrtmg_build/rrtmg_combined.o']
-    netcdf_include = '/central/software/netcdf-c/4.6.1/include'
-    netcdf_lib = '/central/software/netcdf-c/4.6.1/lib'
-    # Comment the above two lines and uncomment below to use Fram@Caltech)
+
+    # Look for $NETCDF_HOME variable
+    try:
+        netcdf_dir = os.environ['NETCDF_HOME']
+        print("Using netCDF4 path of", netcdf_dir)
+        netcdf_include = netcdf_dir + '/include'
+        netcdf_lib = netcdf_dir + '/lib'
+    except KeyError as err:
+        print("$NETCDF_HOME not assigned, using default directory of \'/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a\'")
+        netcdf_include = '/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a/include'
+        netcdf_lib = '/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a/lib'
+    # Comment the above lines and uncomment below to use Fram@Caltech)
     #netcdf_include = '/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a/include'
     #netcdf_lib = '/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a/lib'
     f_compiler = 'gfortran'
@@ -76,8 +85,17 @@ def get_netcdf_prefix():
         extra_compile_args+=['-std=c99', '-O3', '-march=native', '-Wno-unused',
                              '-Wno-#warnings', '-Wno-maybe-uninitialized', '-Wno-cpp', '-Wno-array-bounds','-fPIC']
         extra_objects=['./RRTMG/rrtmg_build/rrtmg_combined.o']
-        netcdf_include = '/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a/include'
-        netcdf_lib = '/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a/lib'
+        
+        # Look for $NETCDF_HOME variable
+        try:
+            netcdf_dir = os.environ['NETCDF_HOME']
+            print("Using netCDF4 path of", netcdf_dir)
+            netcdf_include = netcdf_dir + '/include'
+            netcdf_lib = netcdf_dir + '/lib'
+        except KeyError as err:
+            print("$NETCDF_HOME not assigned, using default directory of \'/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a\'")
+            netcdf_include = '/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a/include'
+            netcdf_lib = '/share/apps/software/rhel6/software/netCDF/4.4.0-foss-2016a/lib'
         f_compiler = 'gfortran'
 
     else: