@wfaaweather So, people farther south can see the aurora. Maybe the quote was referring to field changes that take place when aurora can be seen at lower latitudes, not necessarily that the mag field is weakest overall at the poles as per your graphic.
@wfaaweather I also think there is a contextual issue with the NOAA quote. Usually aurora are confined to the poles where the magnetic field is strongest. Disturbances relatively weaken the magnetic field at the poles, so that the field lines intersect the atmosphere at lower latitudes.
@wfaaweather Pete. Several factual errors in your aurora piece. Earth’s magnetic field is strongest at poles. The charged particles from the sun are captured by the earth’s magnetic field and move along magnetic field lines to the poles, where they strike the atmosphere causing the aurora.