In Philippine #English, if it's called a "storm" it's "weak" (but can still bring in a lot of rains, rains and wind gusts are separate matters, don't mix the two).
If it's called a "typhoon", it's definitely not a joke.
(P.s. And once again, let me reiterate this: "Philippine English" is a legitimate & recognized variant of English. It is NOT the same as Taglish, Singlish, or Konglish/Kinglish.)