Can Control Weather effectively counteract Control Winds?

[ksbsnowowl]

My 11th level PC's are trying to defend a location from an army that has Half-Fiend fliers amongst its ranks.  They thought to make up a couple scrolls of Control Wind to prevent the fliers from being a threat.  In actuality, a druid Hathran is making the scroll, so it could easily have a CL of 15th, which would be enough to take the wind in the area from Light to Hurricane strength.

Among the bad-guy army are several Marzanna Hags (Frostburn), which get the SLA to use Control Weather once per week at caster level 8th.  (Plus, as a Hag Covey, they can use Control Weather 3 times per day.)

Control Winds
Transmutation [Air]
Level:   Air 5, Drd 5
Components:   V, S
Casting Time:   1 standard action
Range:   40 ft./level
Area:   40 ft./level radius cylinder 40 ft. high
Duration:   10 min./level
Saving Throw:   Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance:   No

You alter wind force in the area surrounding you. You can make the wind blow in a certain direction or manner, increase its strength, or decrease its strength. The new wind direction and strength persist until the spell ends or until you choose to alter your handiwork, which requires concentration. ...

Control Weather
Transmutation
Level:   Air 7, Clr 7, Drd 7, Sor/Wiz 7
Components:   V, S
Casting Time:   10 minutes; see text
Range:   2 miles
Area:   2-mile-radius circle, centered on you; see text
Duration:   4d12 hours; see text
Saving Throw:   None
Spell Resistance:   No

You change the weather in the local area. It takes 10 minutes to cast the spell and an additional 10 minutes for the effects to manifest. You can call forth weather appropriate to the climate and season of the area you are in.

You control the general tendencies of the weather, such as the direction and intensity of the wind. You cannot control specific applications of the weather—where lightning strikes, for example, or the exact path of a tornado. When you select a certain weather condition to occur, the weather assumes that condition 10 minutes later (changing gradually, not abruptly). The weather continues as you left it for the duration, or until you use a standard action to designate a new kind of weather (which fully manifests itself 10 minutes later). Contradictory conditions are not possible simultaneously.

Control weather can do away with atmospheric phenomena (naturally occurring or otherwise) as well as create them.

...

So, if I am reading this correctly, the Marzanna Hags could use their Control Weather abilities to "do away with" the control wind spells, but all it actually does is alter what the wind is doing, and it doesn't actually get rid of the control winds spell.  So it would take the Hags 10 minutes for their desired change in effect to occur, and then the caster of the control winds spell (assuming she is still around to concentrate on the spell) could immediately change the wind back to what she wanted, with no lag time (or even change it back after 1 of the ten minutes, when the wind force has dropped from Hurricane force to Windstorm force, for example), correct?

If the Hathran controlling the Control Winds spell is out of range, can her concentration alter the wind?  What if she has left the range, but since returned?

[NunoM]

IMO, there are a number of rulings that may allow "Control Weather" (A) to supersede "Control Winds" (B):

Reason 1: (A) is of higher level than (B) - although this reason is kind of meh...
Reason 2: (A) is cast afterwards, so, by resolving the stack of effects by the order of events, (A) "wins" (i.e. same as resolving a poison affecting STR and then cast with a "Bull's Strength" to recover; if it was the other way around, the poison would "win")
Reason 3: (A) affects a greater area for a longer time, so it would, at least, suppress the effects during that period. If cast after (B) - following Reason 2 - then this is a no-brainer.

So, if I am reading this correctly, the Marzanna Hags could use their Control Weather abilities to "do away with" the control wind spells, but all it actually does is alter what the wind is doing, and it doesn't actually get rid of the control winds spell.  So it would take the Hags 10 minutes for their desired change in effect to occur,...

Yes, this is correct.

... and then the caster of the control winds spell (assuming she is still around to concentrate on the spell) could immediately change the wind back to what she wanted, with no lag time (or even change it back after 1 of the ten minutes, when the wind force has dropped from Hurricane force to Windstorm force, for example), correct?

...but this doesn't sound right. IMO, the "Control Winds" would be suppressed by "Control Weather". The Hathran can try to control the spell as he wishes, but to no real effect. He may be able to sense that his control is being affected by another spell, of course (Spellcraft check?).

If the Hathran controlling the Control Winds spell is out of range, can her concentration alter the wind?  What if she has left the range, but since returned?

I say NO and YES, respectively. The spell doesn't require a continuous concentration to work, so i wouldn't force the druid to stay in range of the spell the whole time. However, it stands to reason that the druid must move to a range where he's able to control his spell if wishes to change it's effects.

I hope this helps...

[ksbsnowowl]

It does help.  I'm still not convinced of what exactly is right or not, but it gets me an answer to compare to my own thoughts.
I agree fully with your last statement (though find it odd the rules don't touch on this at all).

The first bits, I'm not sure.  Your answers sound reasonable, but I need to delve the depths of the general magic rules a bit more to convince myself.

[NunoM]

I just noticed this:

Control Weather
[...]
Contradictory conditions are not possible simultaneously.

Control weather can do away with atmospheric phenomena (naturally occurring or otherwise) as well as create them.
[...]

The way i read it, that first phrase in the quote seems to support the "Reason 2" i gave up there... By following the chain of events, one effectively counters the other. Combine this with your own emphasis, which implies it can be used to do away with atmospheric phenomena created by unnatural means, and i believe you have your answer...

EDIT: (added further notes)