CLINTON, Ind. (WTHI) - Severe weather season is here and the National Weather Service is making sure area storm spotters are prepared.

Emergency management officials and residents of Clinton gathered Thursday night to learn how to properly spot and report storms for the National Weather Service in Indianapolis. Area storm spotters and NWS officials say Indy's radar has some limitations the farther you get from it.

"The radar can only see about this level about 5000 feet in the air by having eyes on the ground we can actually tell National Weather Service what we are seeing and what they are seeing on the radar from the ground level. So it's very important to make sure we have these people out there" area Chuck Procarione says.

National Weather Service officials say reports from storm spotters are important when it comes to issuing severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings.

"That's where that spotter report comes into play. They let us know what is taking place below beam in cloud-based that we are not seeing so it's very helpful information" Dave Tusek with the NWS says.

The class teaches the difference between types of storms and how to safely travel in severe weather. Area storm spotters say classes like the one held in Clinton help build a relationship with the National Weather Service and working together helps keep more people safe.

"These are just great refreshers for people that haven't been to one for awhile. There's just a lot of things that you get confused about when the weather is on the horizon and you look at things. So these classes help you determine what you are actually looking at," Procarione says.