A whisker pole is only needed in light air conditions, when the wind pressure isn't enough to lift the sailcloth and hold it in place. IMO, there's no reason to set a whisker pole in a squall or in small craft warning conditions. Using a pole in those conditions risks breaking the pole.
Strong winds will spread out an un-poled genoa and hold it there and keep it filled, unless you trim it badly. If you ease the jibsheet too far forward, the wind will fill the genoa and spill out of it over the leech of the sail. When it spills over the leech, it will attach itself to the back side of the sail, and create a back-pressure, backwinding the leech of the genoa. When that happens, the genoa will collapse, and then it will re-fill and re-open with a bang. When that happens, you should trim the jibsheet further aft. Then, when the wind fills the sail to overflowing, the excess wind will spill off the luff of the genoa, instead of the leech. As a result, the leech of the sail will not be backwinded, and the sail will not fill and collapse and refill with a bang repeatedly.
The only time I might consider using a whisker pole in strong winds is when racing in a sheltered area, such as on a river or a small inland lake or harbor, where the waves can't grow very big. When sailing wing and wing, you have to steer accurately, because, if you steer too far in one direction, the jib collapses, and if you steer too far in the other direction, you risk an unintentional gybe. In strong winds, choppy or rolling waves can make it nearly impossible to steer the boat with the necessary accuracy.
