Aurora borealis was reported in Colorado overnight Monday as space weather forecasters say severe geomagnetic storms brought the strongest northern lights in more than a decade.

“I’m not surprised,” said Rodney Viereck, head of the Boulder-based Space Weather Prediction Center’s research group. “The aurora was quite active. It’s been almost 10 years since we’ve had this kind of activity. This is one of the biggest storms we’ve had since 2003.”

PHOTOS: View more images of the Aurora borealis over Colorado

The prediction center, operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said it received several reports of Colorado sightings.

Viereck says the phenomenon can be attributed to a perfect storm of space events, including coronal mass ejections, that led to the majestic lights.

“These were all very much earth-aligned and earth-ejected,” he said.

Outside of Colorado, people in New England, Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas also posted magnificent photos on social media of the illuminated sky.

Forecasters say moderate activity is possible for the remainder of Tuesday. While some geomagnetic storms are expected throughout the week, they aren’t expected to be strong enough for more Colorado sightings.

Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul