diff --git a/.readthedocs.yml b/.readthedocs.yml
index 87cdfcab..444107b5 100644
--- a/.readthedocs.yml
+++ b/.readthedocs.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 version: 2
 
 build:
-  os: ubuntu-20.04
+  os: ubuntu-24.04
   tools:
     python: mambaforge-4.10
   jobs:
@@ -14,8 +14,17 @@ build:
       # create a "common" link to the underlying rtd conda environment,
       # which maybe named "latest", "stable" or the cf-units version
       - ln -s ${CONDA_ENVS_PATH}/${CONDA_DEFAULT_ENV} ${CONDA_ENVS_PATH}/common
+      # Need to stash the local changes that Read the Docs makes so that
+      #  setuptools_scm can generate the correct cf-units version.
+      - git stash
+    post_install:
+      - git stash pop
 
 conda:
+  # NOTE: the activation script for this environment does not get run.
+  #  Therefore, the UDUNITS2 environment variables are not set.
+  #  They are instead set via the RTD dashboard (not yet possible via this
+  #  configuration file - readthedocs/readthedocs.org#6311).
   environment: requirements/cf-units.yml
 
 sphinx:
diff --git a/docs/source/conf.py b/docs/source/conf.py
index 3393b05a..207142c9 100644
--- a/docs/source/conf.py
+++ b/docs/source/conf.py
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 # -- Options for HTML output ----------------------------------------------
 
 html_theme = "alabaster"
+html_theme_options = {
+    "description": f"version {release}",
+}
 
-# Example configuration for intersphinx: refer to the Python standard library.
-intersphinx_mapping = {"http://docs.python.org/": None}
+intersphinx_mapping = {"python": ("http://docs.python.org/3/", None)}