diff --git a/.github/workflows/cuda.yml b/.github/workflows/cuda.yml
index fab16b93fe..0e8b2aea54 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cuda.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cuda.yml
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ jobs:
           cd ../..
 
       - name: Dependencies
-        run: .github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_nvcc11.sh
+        run: .github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_nvcc.sh 11.7
 
       - name: compile test_react (aprox13)
         run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_hip.sh b/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_hip.sh
index ab5185ce0a..527379e7e8 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_hip.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_hip.sh
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ echo 'export PATH=/opt/rocm/llvm/bin:/opt/rocm/bin:/opt/rocm/profiler/bin:/opt/r
 
 # we should not need to export HIP_PATH=/opt/rocm/hip with those installs
 
+sudo apt-get clean
 sudo apt-get update
 
 # Ref.: https://rocmdocs.amd.com/en/latest/Installation_Guide/Installation-Guide.html#installing-development-packages-for-cross-compilation
@@ -56,7 +57,9 @@ sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
     roctracer-dev   \
     rocprofiler-dev \
     rocrand-dev     \
-    rocprim-dev
+    rocfft-dev      \
+    rocprim-dev     \
+    rocsparse-dev
 
 # hiprand-dev is a new package that does not exist in old versions
 sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends hiprand-dev || true
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_nvcc.sh b/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_nvcc.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..14bae699d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_nvcc.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# Copyright 2020-2022 Axel Huebl
+#
+# License: BSD-3-Clause-LBNL
+
+set -eu -o pipefail
+
+# `man apt.conf`:
+#   Number of retries to perform. If this is non-zero APT will retry
+#   failed files the given number of times.
+echo 'Acquire::Retries "3";' | sudo tee /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/80-retries
+
+sudo apt-get -qqq update
+sudo apt-get install -y \
+    build-essential     \
+    ca-certificates     \
+    cmake               \
+    g++                 \
+    gfortran            \
+    gnupg               \
+    libopenmpi-dev      \
+    openmpi-bin         \
+    pkg-config          \
+    wget
+
+VERSION_DOTTED=${1-12.0} && VERSION_DASHED=$(sed 's/\./-/' <<< $VERSION_DOTTED)
+curl -O https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu2004/x86_64/cuda-keyring_1.0-1_all.deb
+sudo dpkg -i cuda-keyring_1.0-1_all.deb
+sudo apt-get update
+sudo apt-get install -y \
+    cuda-command-line-tools-$VERSION_DASHED \
+    cuda-compiler-$VERSION_DASHED           \
+    cuda-cupti-dev-$VERSION_DASHED          \
+    cuda-minimal-build-$VERSION_DASHED      \
+    cuda-nvml-dev-$VERSION_DASHED           \
+    cuda-nvtx-$VERSION_DASHED               \
+    libcufft-dev-$VERSION_DASHED            \
+    libcurand-dev-$VERSION_DASHED           \
+    libcusparse-dev-$VERSION_DASHED
+sudo ln -s cuda-$VERSION_DOTTED /usr/local/cuda
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_nvcc11.sh b/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_nvcc11.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 143cb0b98f..0000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/dependencies/dependencies_nvcc11.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-#
-# Copyright 2020 Axel Huebl
-#
-# License: BSD-3-Clause-LBNL
-
-set -eu -o pipefail
-
-sudo apt-get -qqq update
-sudo apt-get install -y \
-    build-essential     \
-    ca-certificates     \
-    cmake               \
-    g++                 \
-    gnupg               \
-    libopenmpi-dev      \
-    openmpi-bin         \
-    pkg-config          \
-    wget
-
-sudo apt-key adv --fetch-keys https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu2204/x86_64/3bf863cc.pub
-echo "deb https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu2204/x86_64 /" \
-    | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cuda.list
-sudo apt-get update
-sudo apt-get install -y \
-    cuda-command-line-tools-11-7 \
-    cuda-compiler-11-7           \
-    cuda-cupti-dev-11-7          \
-    cuda-minimal-build-11-7      \
-    cuda-nvml-dev-11-7           \
-    cuda-nvtx-11-7               \
-    libcurand-dev-11-7
-sudo ln -s cuda-11.7 /usr/local/cuda
-
diff --git a/Make.Microphysics_extern b/Make.Microphysics_extern
index 60327aebc5..17f45478ca 100644
--- a/Make.Microphysics_extern
+++ b/Make.Microphysics_extern
@@ -126,14 +126,18 @@ ifeq ($(USE_CONDUCTIVITY),TRUE)
   EXTERN_CORE += $(CONDUCTIVITY_PATH)
 endif
 
+# backwards compatibility -- remove after 25.01
+ifdef Opacity_dir
+   OPACITY_DIR=$(Opacity_dir)
+endif
 
 ifeq ($(USE_RAD), TRUE)
-   ifeq ($(Opacity_dir), null)
+   ifeq ($(OPACITY_DIR), null)
      $(error The null opacity directory has been removed, please update to rad_power_law)
    endif
    EXTERN_CORE += $(MICROPHYSICS_HOME)/opacity
 
-   OPAC_PATH := $(MICROPHYSICS_HOME)/opacity/$(Opacity_dir)
+   OPAC_PATH := $(MICROPHYSICS_HOME)/opacity/$(OPACITY_DIR)
    EXTERN_CORE += $(OPAC_PATH)
 endif