If you watch the following video, & wonder why I had so much trouble focusing on the actual tornado, here's the explanation.
1a- It was a substantial distance away, which means I had to use the zoom.
1b- When heavy zoom is used, the built-in stabilization feature is basically rendered useless.
2- On top of that, the sun decided to come out at the exact time I started recording. It was at my back, which caused extreme glare on the camcorder screen, making it almost impossible for me to see what I was filming.