SkyWarn Classes
One easy (and free!) way to educate yourself about severe weather is to attend a nearby SkyWarn class. These classes are done usually in the spring and are presented by someone from your nearest National Weather Service forecast office. To contact the nearest Warning Coordination Meteorologist you can click on your area on this map or you can try Todd Sherman’s list of SkyWarn/RACES web pages. Your local amateur radio club probably has information on this as well.
To get an idea of what material is covered in these classes you can check out the slide show as presented by Angie Enyedi at the Jacksonville, Florida NWS. Even though some of it is specific to the Florida region it looks like a good overview. Pay special attention to how storms form, their structure, etc.