"dave" nospam wrote i
...

Sorry if I sound like a buffoon to you meteorologists. I'm simply a
layman that knows nothing about this but wants to learn. I did some
searching and it is said that warm rising air keeps clouds up. Is it
possible the static charge in the clouds could also have an effect?

Of course yes. " Thus charged water clusters can function as electron
reservoirs for chemical reactions involving electron transfer to or from the
reacting species"
See: http://www.watercluster.com/

The stronger charged water clusters migrate higher. So the thunderstorm
clouds are very high.
S*